


family matters (little to the deserter)

by absoluteTomfoolery



Series: shitpost central (and their adventures) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Crack, ITS 5 AM, Knitting, Memes, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PINING KEITH, Running Away, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), first fic for voltron ayy lets get it, idk what this is abt yet tbqh, lil shit pidge, lotor shows up and ruins shit as always, mild swearing, minor homophobia, older brother lance, pidge is nb, pining lance, please dont judge me, really sad oc, sugar auntie allura, this concept came to me while i was showering, tired dad shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-16 02:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11819094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/absoluteTomfoolery/pseuds/absoluteTomfoolery
Summary: When Esmeralda McClain puts her mind to something, there's very little chance of convincing her otherwise.{ lance's little sister comes to visit thanksgiving week. or, rather, she ran away from home}





	1. a long trip and a happy surprise

**Author's Note:**

> heres to hoping my characterization for my faves isnt shit, its my first voltron fic and im trying not to die here
> 
> tbh if anyone wants to be my beta reader PLEASE step forward im dying squirtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> she arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its my first attempt at a voltron fic!!!!!!!! please DONT hate me!!! thanks
> 
> for reference lance is 21, hunk is 21, pidge is 17 but she graduated early, shiro is 28, keith is 22, allura is 26, coran is pretty much ageless
> 
> also im a native spanish speaker but tbh if i make mistakes w the spanish n text speak call me out lol

When Esmeralda McClain puts her mind to something, there's very little chance of convincing her otherwise. It's why she became a boxer at age eleven. It's why she cut off all her hair with a pair of scissors in her bathroom at 3 AM. It's why she's barreling down a dark street in Los Angeles at 10 PM in the middle of November, her shoes splashing against cold, damp puddles and her breath catching in the scarf pulled up to her nose. Florida, home, is never so cold.

Nevertheless, sixteen-year-old Esmeralda is looking for someone.

Once she stops at a corner, she looks around to make sure she's not being followed, or watched, or the future target of a robbery before pulling out her phone and checking Google Maps. Of course she saved the exact location of Lance's apartments. Who would she be but a master escape artist  _and_ navigator? Who would she be but a product of her older brother's influences?

She doesn't stop running for another good fifteen minutes before she finds herself crossing a busy street to his apartment complex. She doesn't care what she looks like as she barges in to the lobby, out of breath and hair flying in every direction. Esmeralda is tired, she's hungry, and she's almost out of money.

"Lance McClain and Hunk Garrett. What apartment are they in?" she asks, pulling down her scarf. 

"I'm afraid I can't give you that information, m'am." the lady at the front desk replies, clearly taken aback by this flustered child's appearance. "You can wait for them in the lobby and see if they come through here."

Esmeralda huffed and grabbed her cellphone out of her backpack, frowning at the dangerously low amount of battery. She'd rather die than give up this far. She dialed her brother's number as angrily as she could, trying to relieve any tension she could manage. After an intense day of cross-country travel, relying on only stolen money and borrowed information, fear was finally settling in. Fear and fatigue are deadly when combined.

"C'mon, Lance, pick up!" she hissed. 

After a few tones, there was a click, and a voice sounded on the other end. "Hello?"

"Oh my god, Lance—"

"Sike! You've got my voicemail! Anyway, leave your name, number, and reason for calling—"

"HIJO DE SU PINCHE MADRE—!"

The teenage girl is so close to crushing her phone in her bare hands, she starts calculating the cost of replacing it before she's interrupted by someone.

"Excuse me," some guy mumbled right next to her, and she shuffles out of the way before looking up.

Immediately, she starts making connections.  _Buff arms? Check. Six pack? Check. Dark-ass eyes? Check. Emo bangs AND mullet? Check. Oh shit, it's—_ "Keith?" Esmeralda freezes on the spot.  _Oh no. Oh fuck. Now I'm in the shit. Now I'm fucking screwed. I can't believe I'm about to expose myself like this._

He was walking away, presumably towards the pool, before he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at this very short, very raggedy looking girl who seemed to recognize him. "Who are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Uh..."  _Shit. Fuck! What do I say? That I stalked my brother's spam and saw his face way too many times?_ "You... You're a friend of my brother Lance. He's... told me about you! Yeah, he showed me pictures."  _I'm so sorry Lance._

"He talks about me?" he asked, eyes wide and a pretty blush decorating his cheeks. 

 _Shit! Shit shit shit, I did something I shouldn't have done._ "Uh... yeah! All the time!"  _STOP TALKING!_ "Anyway! It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Esmeralda."  _Time to schmooze him over. C'mon, do it like Lance taught you— eye contact!_

She looks straight into Keith's eyes and gives him a big smile.  _Lie as if it's the last thing you'll ever do._ "I'll be staying with Lance for Thanksgiving, but I decided to get here a little bit earlier to surprise him! I forgot the apartment number, though. Guess I should've planned ahead." she sighed, fiddling with her scarf. "Do you think you could help me?"

Keith looked at her suspiciously, and immediately Esmeralda knew she had to step it up a notch. She widened her eyes suddenly and then frowned, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just realized you were probably heading somewhere. I'm sorry to bother you, I can just... figure it out on my own, I guess. I mean, how many apartments can there be?"

"No, it... it's okay." Keith replied. "He lives right next door. I don't know if he's there right now, but I know his roommate Hunk stayed in to study. I'll show you."

Esmeralda brightened, giving Keith her biggest grin.  _Yes, he's a good one, I can see why Lance likes him so much._ "Thank you so much!"

The apartment complex wasn't large enough to get lost in, thankfully, and it was really only a five minute walk and one set of stairs to get to Lance and Hunk's front door. Finally, she could feel some tension ebb away.  _I made it all the way to Los Angeles, and my parents haven't even called once._

There was a pause as she stood facing the doorbell.  _They... haven't even noticed._

"Esmeralda?"

"Oh!" Esmeralda turned towards Keith with a soft smile. "I'm sorry, I must have... zoned out for a second there. It's been a while since I've seen my brother." She sighed and adjusted her backpack on her shoulders. "Thanks, Keith."

"You're welcome." he replied, and he turned, no doubt to head back to his apartment. "And hey, word of advice?" He glanced at her over his shoulder, sending her a knowing smile. "When running away, try to make sure you know  _precisely_ where you're going."

The girl froze, feeling electricity run down her spine. Was it fear? Excitement? Mutual respect?  _Yeah, he's a smart one._ "I'll keep that in mind." she replied coolly, watching him disappear into his own place.  _I'll keep that in mind._

 _Okay, what's better: knocking politely, or using the spare key?_ She gave it a few more seconds of thought before reaching for the top of the windowsill.  _If I knock, they have a very good chance of denying me entry outright, while they can never permanently keep me out if I have a key._

She unlocked the door as quietly as possible and poked her head inside.

Humming came from the kitchen, a deep, golden voice sounding out amidst the quiet clanging of pots and pans. Esmeralda remembers Hunk dearly— he's been her brother's best friend for years, and she remembers the joy on Lance's face when he found out they got accepted into the same university.  _At least he won't be alone_ , she had thought back then.  _At least they'll take care of each other._

She closed the door behind her quietly, begging her sneakers not to squeak on the wooden floor.

She looked around, crouching just out of Hunk's line of sight to look around.  _Lance... doesn't seem to be home._   _Keith was right._  She took out her phone and opened Snapchat, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lance on Maps.  _Nothing_.  _The hell is he up to that he's gotta hide his location?_  While trying to put her phone away, she dropped it, and felt her heart stop as the sound rang throughout the apartment.

"Lance?" Hunk called out from the kitchen. A mouth-watering smell hit Esmeralda's senses and made her stomach growl.  _FUCK._ "Lance, you know I don't like it when you scare me. It wasn't funny the first time, it's not funny this time!"

 _You know what? I give up, I'm fucking starving._ Esmeralda sprang up from her hiding place with a grin. "What's for dinner?"

Suddenly, an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream rang out, and the star chef stood clutching his spatula to his apron-covered chest. His brown eyes were wide like saucers, and his mouth hung open. "E-Esmeralda! You're... here! What... What?"

"Hi Hunk!" she greeted, leaning on the kitchen counter. "How've you been?"

"I'm... I'm... I've been great! What are you doing here? Lance didn't tell me we'd be expecting you!" he exclaimed, putting down his spatula and wiping his hands down on his apron. Esmeralda immediately went for a hug, missing her practically-adopted brother. 

"Yeah, I, uh..." she looked away, scratching the back of her head. "I didn't... I wanted to, uh... can I just explain later? I'm really tired and I've been awake for a really long while and..."

"Is everything okay?" Hunk asked. 

The girl sighed, sitting down on the couch and holding her backpack close to her. She didn't realize until she was in the warmth of their apartment how tired and stressed and afraid she really was. "I... I don't know?"

Hunk took a deep breath. "Alright, you can just talk to me about this later. I'm going to finish up dinner and Lance will be back soon, okay? He just forgot something at the university library."

"Mmmhmm." She answered, resting her head on the armrest. "I'm... not going anywhere."

Quickly, Hunk took out his phone from his back pocket and fired off a message to lance.

 

_**ROOMIES** _

**hunkofgorgeous:** uh lance? your sister's here

 **lemmesmash:** hunk ive already told you maria from the first floor isnt my sister

 **lemmesmash:** shes not even cuban shes mexican

 **hunkofgorgeous:** no lance!! esmeralda is h e r e

 **lemmesmash:** impossible. shes in florida 

 **hunkofgorgeous:** oh my god she's already asleep

 **hunkofgorgeous:** [ _snooze.jpg_ ]

 **lemmesmash:** WTF THE FUCK

 **lemmesmash:** IM On my way! HOME

 **lemmesmash:** IM GONNA FUCKING

 

Lance barged into the apartment, tossing his backpack by the coat rack and immediately inhaling to begin the Screamfest— until, of course, Hunk immediately hushed him and pointed to the sleeping mass on the couch. 

Esmeralda looked... younger than he remembered, and he couldn't quite place why. They hadn't seen each other properly in almost a year, especially since she went to that one art camp last summer.  _Is it the makeup? The clothes?_ He walked up to her and crouched down, hand reaching up to clear her hair out of her face.  _Oh, she cut it._ _She... she cut her hair!_

He remembered the last time he saw her, then— her hair was wavy, silky, and hopelessly long, reaching around her lower back. She'd always let him braid it, and comb it, and practice hairstyles with it. Now, it was almost all gone, hastily cut and barely reaching her shoulders.  _What happened?_

She had heavy bags under her eyes, her lips were dry and cracked, and she was curled up in a ball despite having a blanket folded right next to her. Lance draped her in the knit throw and sighed, standing up to look at Hunk. He couldn't be angry at her, not when she looked so tired. "Did she mention why she came?"

His best friend shook his head, placing three mats on their round, wooden table. "No. She just said she'd explain later, that she was really tired. I asked if she was okay and she just... she just said 'I don't know'. What does that mean?"

Lance sighed. He loved his little sister, and he knew how stubborn she could be, but he had no idea what she could've gotten herself into to have run to him all the way across the country.  _She's always kept to herself, but this...?_ "I don't know."

"Oh man, your mom must be going crazy right now looking for her." Hunk said, grimacing at the thought of being in trouble with the McClain matriarch.

Lance's eyes widened, pulling out his phone and checking the family group chat.  _It should be 1 AM over there, right?_  

 

_**LOS MCCLAIN** _

**mariamcclain:** ramiro, ¿has visto a tu hermana?

 **ramirooo:** no

 **mariamcclain:** no ha salido de su cuarto en todo el dia

 **elfavorito:** mama...

 **mariamcclain:** q paso chiquito

 **elfavorito:** [ _snooze.jpg_ ]

 **mariamcclain:** _QUE_

 **ramirooo:** JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA

 

Lance glanced at where his sister slept, and he felt a soft pang of pain. Their mom always joked about how she was a carbon copy of him— so it seemed in this aspect, as well. Of course she knew how to sneak out of the house. She was smart, and talented, and headstrong; he knew she was studious, dedicated to the studies and never disobeyed their mother.  _Until..._

"You think something really bad happened?" Hunk asked, setting down a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches on the table. 

"She's always been really... stable? Responsible, serious. I never thought she'd just run away like this."

"She takes after you, doesn't she? I remember you used to sneak out all the time back in high school."

The Cuban huffed out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, I remember I had to drag you places. But I've never gone cross country like she has. I mean... this is..."

"You think they're gonna force her to go back?" Hunk asked. 

Lance frowned. He was worried for both parties: his mother and his sister. He was also confused by Esmeralda's complete 180 degree turn, a side of her he had never seen before. 

He was also saddened by the fact that he didn't know his sister as well as he had thought, and that whatever happened was so terrible, she decided to turn to Lance instead of Ramiro, her twin, or their parents. Something was definitely up.

"I'd rather her stay for a couple of days. I mean, she came all this way, right? Must've been for a reason."

Hunk gaped at Lance. "Do... Do we even have space? I mean, I don't mind having her here, you know I love your family, man, but—"

"Look, I'll take the couch and she can take my room, alright? We'll just... we can ask Shiro and Keith for help taking care of her, maybe she can hang out with Pidge. We can't leave her alone right now." Lance explained, letting out a sigh. "Besides, we've missed out and odds are, something bad happened if she'd rather turn to me right now."

His best friend was quiet for a few long moments, gaze lingering between Lance and his sister. "Fine. But you've got work tomorrow and so do I. And you're doing the explaining in the group chat, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Hunk." Lance gave him a grateful smile.

They ate in silence, and afterwards, washed their dishes. Esmeralda was still dead asleep when Lance carried her unfortunately small frame to bed, despite her being a fully-grown teenager, and didn't even make a sound when he tucked her in, clothes and all.

"You think she'll be fine?" Hunk asked as Lance settled in on the couch.

Her older brother took out his phone and unlocked it, already writing out an explanation to his friends. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> when esmeralda cussed in spanish its basically just SON OF A FUCKING BITCH 
> 
> and also:
> 
> mariamcclain: ramiro have you seen your sister?  
> ramirooo: no  
> mariamcclain: she hasnt come out of her room all day  
> thefavorite: mom...  
> mariamccalin: whats up baby?  
> thefavorite: lance sends a pic of his sister sleeping on his couch  
> mariamcclain: WHAT  
> ramirooo: HAHAHAHAHAHA


	2. babysitters and backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> esmeralda meets pidge
> 
> a match made in heaven, a friendship forged in hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every chapter i finish i publish at 5 am. why

_**shitpost central** _

_**11:13 PM** _

**lemmesmash:** can i get uhhhhhhh

 **hunkofgorgeous:** lance

 **lemmesmash:** right right esmeralda yeah i 4got

 **pidgeonator3000:** what

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i have a feeling this is gonna get good

 **lemmesmash:** shut up mullet how do u even know that

 **hunkofgorgeous:** lance

 **lemmesmash:** ok! so my sister just showed up in my apartment

 **lemmesmash:** and i have no idea how she got here, why she's here, and what she plans to do

 **lemmesmash:** since i'll be working thanksgiving week and so will hunk

 **pidgeonator3000:** oh god

 **lemmesmash:** could any of you pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaasssssseeee babysit her?

 **allurass:** omg lance!! you have a little sister??? how old is she?? =D

 **lemmesmash:** [ _snooze.jpg_ ]

 **lemmesmash:** she's 16

 **pidgeonator3000:** wait aren't you from florida? did she come here alone

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i bumped into her in the main building

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i knew she ran away tbh call it an orphan's instinct

 **exasperatedFather:** Do Not

 **allurass:** LMAO

 **hunkofgorgeous:** seriously guys we're afraid she might run off again or do something bad

 **pidgeonator3000:** is she a troublemaker?

 **lemmesmash:** no, that's the issue

 **lemmesmash:** she's a good kid, always follows orders, good student, responsible, headstrong

 **lemmesmash:** for her to just

 **lemmesmash:** run away like this?

 **hunkofgorgeous:** yeah we dont know what shes gonna do next

 **lemmesmash:** i havent seen her in a little more than a year, we've barely talked

 **lemmesmash:** and shes changed a lot

 **lemmesmash:** shes asleep right now

 **lemmesmash:** she hasnt even told us why shes here

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** you think something bad happened?

 **lemmesmash:** i dont know

 **lemmesmash:** ive never seen something get under her skin before

 **lemmesmash:** i mean i used to tease her all the time, but

 **exasperatedFather:** pidge and i can hang out with her tomorrow

 **pidgeonator3000:** but DAD i dont even KNOW HER

 **exasperatedFather:** 1) im not your dad and 2) i have a feeling you'll get along perfectly fine

 **exasperatedFather:** i have boxing classes to teach in the afternoon, but pidge can hang out with her then

 **lemmesmash:**!!!!!!!! esmeralda loves boxing

 **allurass:** really?

 **lemmesmash:** yeah!! shes been doing it since she was 11

 **lemmesmash:** before that though she was in ballet

 **allurass:** i love her already

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** shes a terrible liar

 **lemmesmash:** excuse me ive taught her everything she knows

 **xXxmothfanxXx** : no wonder

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** she tried to convince me that you already knew she was coming for thanksgiving and that she just forgot the apartment number

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** but if you had known you wouldve been bouncing around already

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** plus nobody stays for a week with just a backpack on their shoulders

 **lemmesmash:** thats only because you knew me

 **lemmesmash:** she is decidedly sneakier than i am

 **lemmesmash:** she has a way of getting what she wants

 **pidgeonator3000:** nvm shiro's right i think im gonna like her

 **hunkofgorgeous:** thanks guys

 **hunkofgorgeous:** i havent seen esmeralda in a while im kind of excited to hang out with her too

 **hunkofgorgeous:** i remember when she would get mad at lance for teasing her too much so shed chase him around the house with her pocket knife

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** does she like knives

 **lemmesmash:** stay away from my sister u knife fetish

 **pidgeonator3000:** LOL

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** im gay u shitlord

 **lemmesmash:** no ik you should still stay away

 **lemmesmash:** but yeah thanks for helping me out here

 **lemmesmash:** im

 **lemmesmash:** im really worried?

 **exasperatedFather:** dont be

 **exasperatedFather:** we'll watch out for her

 **hunkofgorgeous:** we have a feeling she'll wake up late so we'll leave a message for her

 **pidgeonator3000:** ill be at keith's p much all day

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i get home from work around 7

 **pidgeonator3000:** oh my god lance does she like cryptids

 **lemmesmash:** do NOT introduce my little sister to ur sinnery

 **hunkofgorgeous:** lance pls dont be loud your sister is in the other room

 **hunkofgorgeous:** i heard a muffled sound of indignation

 **lemmesmash:** :(

 **lemmesmash:** fine im gonna sleep

 **lemmesmash:** thanks again guys

 **exasperatedFather:** no problem lance :) we're always here for you

 **allurass:** <3 i call dibs on esmeralda for tuesday

 

When Esmeralda awoke, her vision was obstructed by a neon yellow sticky note hanging from her forehead. With a huff of a laugh, she snatched it and rubbed the sleep out of her blue eyes, trying to gather herself.

_Esme,_

_Hunk and I have to work from 10-8 today, so I've left you in the Very capable hands of my friends Shiro, Pidge, and Keith. They'll be checking up on you periodically if you feel like staying in, or you can head right next door if you want to hang out with them. They're excited to meet you!_

_Let's catch up when I get home. I missed you a lot!_

_Love, your big brother,_

_Lancey-Lance_

The girl laughed to herself, turning to sit on the edge of her bed.  _I can't believe he remembers the nickname I gave him when I was little. What a dork._ She folded the note and slipped it into her pocket, remembering, suddenly, that she was still wearing the prior night's clothes.

In fact, she only had one other change in her bag. When she made the decision to just up and sneak all the way to California, she hadn't thought very far ahead. She hadn't even thought about how her parents would react when they found out. If  _they find out. I mean, if they didn't notice after a whole day, what are the odds they'll notice after an entire week? Not too big._

She looked around at Lance's bedroom, wincing at the bright sunlight streaming in from a window parallel to the bed. It was unusually neat, especially since she knew his habits after living with him for 16 years. There were books piled haphazardly on his otherwise clean desk, and her backpack had been placed right next to the bed, unopened.  _This is the bedroom of a young man who attends university,_ she realizes,  _not a teenage troublemaker trying to hide magazines under his bed, not of a pubescent wannabe ladies' man, not of the older brother who's always going to be there._

She feels tears build up behind her eyes, and her sight goes blurry for a second as she begins to wipe the water away.  _I can't believe I just marched myself all the way to California and completely ignored the fact that I'd be interrupting his plans. He has to work, he has a social life, he doesn't need a little sister who will just selfishly jump into situations that'll mess everything up for him, I cannot believe I have been so self-centered, I've ruined everything, I want to go home—_

"Esmeralda?"

The teenage girl jumped and turned to look at the doorway of her brother's bedroom, frozen in place as she looked into the hazel eyes of a young (girl? boy? she'll play it safe and go with  _they_ for now), framed by round, golden-rimmed glasses. They were taller than her, though that's not hard to do, and they had a frown etched into their otherwise gentle, soft features. "Hey, you okay?"

Esmeralda blinked, rubbing at her eyes and sniffling quietly. "Yeah, I just... don't worry about it. You're one of my brother's friends, right?" 

"Yeah, you can call me Pidge. Lance asked Shiro, Keith, and I to check up on you, so..." For a few moments, the two of them just stared at each other awkwardly, hoping the other would speak up. When Esmeralda just kept fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket, Pidge spoke up again. "Look, um, if you need anything we're right next door. If you want to come hang out instead of being in an empty apartment all day, uh, we'd be happy to have you."

The girl blinked up at her brother's friend and looked around for a second. She felt guilt weigh on her shoulders heavy, and not wanting to be any more of a bother on her older sibling, she simply nodded. "I'll take you up on that. Let me just... shower and get dressed."

"Alright, uh... I'll just... be next door. Yeah." 

After Pidge very awkwardly closed the door and fled the scene, Esmeralda opted to take a very quick shower and used as little of Lance's expensive bath products as possible, got dressed, grabbed her backpack, and immediately marched next door. 

She stood in front of the door, trying to gather courage, until she finally brought her hand up to knock. However, before her knuckles even made contact, the door opened and revealed a very muscular chest framed by very muscular arms, one with a prosthetic, and a chiseled jawline. The girl gasped and immediately took a step back, staring at the very tall, very intimidating man in front of her. He had black hair with a white streak near the forehead, a scar across his nose, and a very gentle, very patient smile on his lips.

 _He's the most beautiful and most frightening man I've ever seen._ she quickly realized. "S-Sorry, I... sorry. Sorry." she managed to finally stammer. "I'm... is Pidge... here?"

The man laughed, a quiet little sound, before extending his hand for a handshake. "I'm Shiro, and I take it you're Esmeralda? I'm one of your brother's friends."

She shook his hand, relieved that he wasn't actually as scary as he seemed. "You can call me  _Esme_ if you want. Um, Pidge said I could come over?"

"Yes, of course! Come in, come in. Lance has told me a lot about you, actually." he said as he led the younger girl inside. "He mentioned you liked boxing?"

Esmeralda smiled. "Yeah, I've been training for a while. I'm not competing, though." she answered simply. She looked around the apartment, which mimicked Lance's apartment except for a few minor details and an extra room. Pidge was nowhere to be seen, and Shiro had gone into the kitchen to rifle through a cupboard. 

"I'm a trainer at the local boxing gym and I've got to teach classes in the afternoon, so if you want, you can join and train with me. If not, Pidge will be here, too, no doubt hacking into the CIA like they always do." Shiro joked,  _or is he even joking?,_ while pouring himself a glass of water. "I mean, they've done it a thousand times, I feel like it's just out of boredom now."

"It's not out of boredom." Pidge sighed from behind Esmeralda, and the girl jumped, turning quickly to see them in the doorway of their bedroom. "They've got info on the aliens, Shiro. They're out there. I  _believe_."

The teenager couldn't help it, and let out a small, twinkling laugh. "Don't forget the moon landing."

"See? She gets it!" Pidge exclaimed, a bright smile spreading across their face. They turned to Esmeralda and raised their eyebrows. "You like cryptids?"

"They're not my favorite, but I won't change the channel when Finding Bigfoot comes on." she replied simply, shrugging. 

"Sweet, I've downloaded a bunch of documentaries. Wanna watch them with me?"

"Oh god," Shiro murmured behind the two of them, letting out a sigh. "you're gonna get sucked into their obsession." he warned.

"They're out there, Shiro." Pidge answered simply. "C'mon, it'll be way better than boxing, anyway. Plus, if you want you can help me hack into the Pentago. I heard the Department of Defense was a bunch of furries."

"Oh my god, seriously?" Esmeralda asked, adjusting the backpack on her shoulders. "Let's do it, hell yeah."

The man behind her only  _tsk_ ed and picked up a set of keys hanging from a nail on the wall. "While you two do  _that_ , I'm going to get the groceries that  _somebody_ forgot to buy yesterday."

"I was handling sensitive information, Shiro, I couldn't just walk away!" Pidge called out, but he left the apartment anyway, and the two of them were left alone. "Let's go to my room, that's where I've got everything set up."

 

_**shitpost central** _

**pidgeonator3000:** lance 

 **pidgeonator3000:** dude your sister is so cool

 **lemmesmash:** dont corrupt my sister

 **pidgeonator3000:** i dont even need to 

 **pidgeonator3000:** shes picking out cryptid documentaries herself

 **lemmesmash:** WTF THE FUCK

 **lemmesmash:** my own blood

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** one of us one of us one of us

 **lemmesmash:** i cant believe this

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** as soon as i get home from work im joining you two

 **pidgeonator3000:** she says "sweet"

 **pidgeonator3000:** DFGHJKFGHJK HAHAHAHA

 **pidgeonator3000:** SHE JUST ASKED IF THE MULLET'S INTENTIONAL OR IF IT JUST GROWS THAT WAY

 **lemmesmash:** tell my sister i love her

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** thats slander i wont stand for this

 **pidgeonator3000:** hi this is esmeralda pidge lent me their phone

 **pidgeonator3000:**  hi

 **lemmesmash:** esme how r pidge and shiro treating you?? did u sleep well?? how r u feeling???

 **pidgeonator3000:** im fine :) pidge n shiro r really friendly and i slept well thank u

 **allurass:** hi esmeralda!! im allura!!

 **pidgeonator3000:** hi allura!! im esmeralda!!

 **allurass:** hi!!

 **pidgeonator3000:** hi!!

 **hunkofgorgeous:** thats so pure

 **hunkofgorgeous:** hi esme!! how are u feeling?

 **pidgeonator3000:** hi hunk!oh i have to give pidge their phone back now

 **pidgeonator3000:** bye!!! <3

 **pidgeonator3000:** ok im back its me your favorite lime-flavored tic tac minion

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** never say that again, ever

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i cant believe she insulted my hair shes just like lance

 **lemmesmash:** excuse me how dare you my sister is amazing

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** you just insulted yourself

 **lemmesmash:** whats ur point

 

The first documentary was entertaining enough, and Esmeralda found herself getting more and more comfortable with Pidge's presence and sense of humor. They were strangely easy to get along with despite her initial, awkward impression of them. She liked Pidge. In fact, she found herself wanting to be their friend.

"... and, like, the face shape is totally different! You can totally see the difference in Melinda's appearance and Avril's. It's so obvious. The government is hiding something."

Esmeralda only smiled and nodded for Pidge to continue. She wasn't in much of a talking mood, and she very pointedly dodged the whole ' _how are you feeling'_ question in the group chat for fear of breaking down then and there. Why did she come to California anyway? To run away from her problems? To avoid the inevitable ' _I'm so disappointed in you_ ' talk she'd get from her mother and father? To ignore the fact that she'd have to switch schools? To pretend, even for just a small period of time, that she was someone else?

She stared down at the knuckles of her right hand, where the bruises were starting to fade away. Even now, she still doesn't know why she punched Anna. The face she made right before her fist made contact with her cheek keeps playing in her mind, over and over, like a broken film. What would she even say when Lance asks her why she just decided to run away in the middle of the night? There were so many reasons, some unrelated and some melded into each other like a weird ball of feelings and hair littering the bathroom tile. 

"Esme?" Pidge asked, and the girl blinked to attention, the deep frown on her face melting away to confusion. "You zoned out for a second there."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

"What about?"

Esmeralda blinked, not expecting such a forward question. Pidge, surely realizing that, cleared their throat and quickly corrected themselves. "Look, I know I'm not Lance, and I'm not very good with feelings, but he's worried something's up with you and, well, I saw you crying earlier, so if you want to talk about something... I can listen, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

The girl smiled gently, unsure whether to trust Pidge or just keep her issues to herself.

 _"You know, Esme, if you keep bottling things up, one day you're just going to burst."_ _Anna joked, nudging her best friend with her elbow. "You're so gentle, I feel like that'd be a scary day, indeed."_

 _How ironic,_ Esmeralda thought bitterly,  _that the psychic predicts her own misfortune._ After a few moments of awkward silence, she took a deep breath. "I got into a fight at school. I punched my best friend Anna, and they expelled me." 

Pidge's eyes widened. "Damn. In the face?"

She huffed a laugh, picking at the rips in her jeans. "Yeah, right in the cheek."

"Ouch. Why'd you punch her? If I may ask."

"Well," Esmeralda began, taking a deep breath to try and regain what dignity she had left in her. "I confided a very important secret to her regarding my sexuality, namely that I had a crush on her, and she proceeded to turn on me and spread it all across the school. I had been dealing with my own stresses and worries regarding numerous other matters, so I guess I just...  _burst_."

It was quiet, and then suddenly the teenage girl felt a hand on her shoulder, no doubt Pidge trying to comfort her. "Do your parents know why you punched her?"

"No," she answered. "I don't want to bother them with something that doesn't matter. They have enough to worry about without their daughter and her repressed issues. Hell, I don't even wanna bother Lance with this. I feel guilty for barging in uninvited, but I guess it's too late to turn back now."

"Not that you need my advice, but I feel like you should talk to Lance about this. He's worried about you." Pidge suggested. "He cares a lot about his family. He'll want to help as much as he can."

"Okay." replied Esmeralda, eyes still glued to her knees. "I'll try. Thanks, Pidge."

"No problem. And hey, cheer up. Keith'll be home soon and he's totally in love with Mothman."

 

 

 

_**shitpost central** _

**lemmesmash:** im On my way! home how's my sister??

 **pidgeonator3000:** shes sitting with keith on our couch while watching a mothman documentary

 **lemmesmash:** how's she feeling?? she never answered us earlier

 **pidgeonator3000:** we talked for a while but its better you hear it from her than from me

 **exasperatedFather:** did something bad happen?

 **pidgeonator3000:** what a dad shiro

 **allurass:** what a dad

 **hunkofgorgeous:** what a dad

 **lemmesmash:** what a dad

 **lemmesmash:** wait whats she doing now?

 **pidgeonator3000:** shes bonding with keith 

 **pidgeonator3000:** theyre getting along really well

 **pidgeonator3000:** shes a sweet girl lance

 **allurass:** i want. to bond with her

 **hunkofgorgeous:** shes always been really quiet

 **hunkofgorgeous:** its strange to see her making friends

 **hunkofgorgeous:** especially now

 **lemmesmash:** sometimes i feel like i know my sister

 **lemmesmash:** and then she does things like this

 **lemmesmash:** and its like im looking at someone entirely new

 **lemmesmash:** i didnt even know she liked cryptids

 **lemmesmash:** ive missed out on so much

 **exasperatedFather:** it was only a year, wasnt it?

 **exasperatedFather** : dont beat yourself up about it lance

 **hunkofgorgeous:** yeah youre not to blame here buddy

 **lemmesmash:** a lot can happen in a year

 **hunkofgorgeous:** fair point

 **hunkofgorgeous:** did you check in with your family?

 **lemmesmash:** they said they want her home asap

 **lemmesmash:** i said fat chance

 **hunkofgorgeous:** what??

 **hunkofgorgeous:** shes seriously staying for thanksgiving??

 **pidgeonator3000:** dude shes travelling super light i dont think she has another change of clothes

 **lemmesmash:** i have old clothes she can borrow

 **allurass:** im gonna buy out all of H&M for this girl

 **exasperatedFather:** allura no

 **allurass:** 2 late already on the website

 **lemmesmash:** somethings up and i wanna help her with it

 **lemmesmash:** besides i want quality time with my sister

 **lemmesmash:** even if she may or may not currently be in ur care

 **pidgeonator3000:** i dont mind hanging out with her

 **pidgeonator3000:** [ _hackerpal.jpg_ ]

 **pidgeonator3000:** in fact shes helping me hack into the pentagon rn

 **lemmesmash:** if my sister gets arrested im trading u in for her

 **pidgeonator3000:** she says she likes keith better than u

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** HA

 **lemmesmash:** nvm the cia can keep her

 **pidgeonator3000:** then she said 'dont get too cocky keith your mullet makes u dispensable'

 **hunkofgorgeous:** SAVAGE

 **allurass:** SFKHLSHFLS

 **allurass:** chaotic neutral

 **pidgeonator3000:** i love this girl


	3. the talk and the dance party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y'all ever danced with your sibling to latin music and then ended up crying and partially revealing the reason your crossed the entire country to see them??
> 
> yeah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me rehuso by danny ocean is such a FUCKING JAM
> 
> nena, disculpame,  
> y si te ilusione, yo no lo quise hacer

Esmeralda was glad to spend some time with Hunk when he got home. He was her brother's best friend, practically adopted into their family, so they got along swimmingly. When he started on dinner, she was glad to help him cook, following all of his instructions to the tee. 

Even though she missed her brother, she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss Hunk just as much. He was adored by everyone in her family, not just because he is the truest friend Lance has ever had, but because he's a delight himself. He's kind, caring, protective, and gentle, and she knew that if she told him about what happened he would understand. Right?

"So, I didn't get to ask the other night," Hunk began, stirring a sauce mixture in some sort of bowl. "but what brings you all the way across the country? By yourself? With only, like, a backpack?"

The girl sighed, wiping her hands down on the apron she had borrowed. "Well, I ran into some trouble at school and I got expelled. Mom and Dad got really mad, they grounded me, and I guess I was just so frustrated and annoyed and confused... I packed up all my stuff, cut my hair 'cuz I was just sick of looking at myself in the mirror, and booked it. I didn't really think about where I was going, just that... I needed to see Lance. I don't know. I'm not too sure myself."

She was quiet for a few beats before she spoke up again. "I'm really sorry I came uninvited. I wasn't thinking, and I didn't consider that you and my brother have your own lives and friends and I just barged in... I'm sorry. If you want I can be out by tomorrow, I don't mind, I'll have to face my parents at one point anyway."

Hunk gaped at the girl beside him, eyes wide. "Are you kidding? Lance already told your family you were staying the whole week. There's no way you're skipping out now. He's missed you a lot, Esme, and he's worried that since he hasn't seen you in a year that he's been a bad brother. He wants to help you out, y'know?"

Esmeralda felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like him." She felt guilty, sure, but she also felt grateful. "I feel bad about dragging him into this. About dragging all of you into this."

"Don't worry about it." Hunk answered. "But you should tell your brother what's up when he comes home."

"I'll try."

The silence between them was comfortable despite the conversation they'd just had. Esmeralda had almost forgotten just how easy it was to get along with Hunk. She could trust him, right?  _Of course I can,_ she thought to herself,  _what kind of question is that?_

"Hunk, I punched my best friend Anna. You... You don't know who she is, but I hit her right in the cheek." Esmeralda confessed, turning to look him in the eye. "I told her I had a crush on her, and she spread it all around the school. So I got mad, and I punched her."

Hunk gaped at the girl in front of him, almost dropping the bowl of sauce he had been carrying. "Holy  _shit_ , Esme! What the hell?"

"They kicked me out, I told you." she repeated, crossing her arms. "I don't know, Hunk. I just... I just  _snapped_. I was so sick of everything that had been happening to me lately, the way people were looking at me—"

"How were they looking at you?"

"They were just—" Suddenly, Esmeralda was interrupted by the sound of the front door closed and a quick set of footsteps.

"Now,  _where_ is my loveliest sister?" Exclaimed Lance as he practically bounced into the kitchen. "There she is! The most gorgeous gal! My most amazing Emerald, my  _shining gem!_ " He draped himself on his sister, and she groaned as she tried to lift his dead weight and keep him off the ground. Still, the both of them were laughing, even as she dropped him finally and he crashed to the ground.

"You idiot," Esmeralda teased, offering her hand to help him up. "I missed you, too."

"Oh, come here!" He grabbed her and put his arm around her neck, rubbing his knuckles on her scalp.

"Ahh! Lance, I'm not twelve anymore!" she exclaimed, jabbing her elbow into his stomach and freeing herself. They were both still laughing, Lance just holding his stomach in both pain and surprise. 

"Yeah, I know that." he sighed, ruffling the top of his short hair. "C'mon, last time we saw each other you were complaining that I owed you a 15th birthday dance."

"Oh my god, you remember that?" she asked, amused smile dancing on her lips. "That was a long time ago, Lance."

"I still owe you, c'mon." He grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and opened Spotify, typing something in rapidly and then setting it down as a Latin beat started to play. "This isn't some special song to ballroom dance to, but it's what's come up on shuffle and I'm too cheap for Premium." He held out his hand, giving his sister his biggest smile.

For a second, Esmeralda glanced at Hunk, who simply looked on fondly and mouthed  _He's trying to make you smile._ She took his hand and let him lead, completely embarrassed but relieved nobody else but Hunk was watching Lance's shameless behavior.

_Dime, ¿cómo le explico a mi destino que ya no estás ahí?  
Dime, ¿cómo haré para desprenderme de este frenesí?_

Lance began to do some sort of salsa step as he held both of his sister's hands, doing some weird, twisting thing with his hips that was impossible to imitate. He turned Esmeralda and bumped one side of his hips with hers, then went on to do some complicated step sequence and drop that left her absolutely shocked. " _Lance, que descarado!"_

His laugh rang out as he motioned his sister to follow along, making the dance a lot less complicated and a lot more fun.  _"Eres mi hermana, como que ya deberías saber eso, ¿no?"_

"Lance works as a dance instructor." Hunk quipped from the kitchen, taking out plates from the cupboard. "I thought you knew that."

"No, I did not!" Esmeralda exclaimed, eyes wide. She followed his routine as best as she could, trying to feel the beat like Lance was evidently doing.

Man, she had forgotten who the dancer of the family was. Of _course_ Lance was a dance instructor in his free time. He had the energy for it, everyone in his family knew  _that_ , but she never saw that dancing talent flourish when he was in high school. So naturally, here he was, moving in ways that'd put Shakira to shame.

And it's not that she wasn't as good as him, either— she was just experienced in a different style of dancing. She _had_ been in ballet until she was eleven after all, and the agility and balance it gave her did wonders in boxing. It was moments like these, with her older brother, that she missed dancing. But she wasn't sad about it, no, she was laughing the whole time.

He'd always been good at cheering people up.

When the music faded out, she crashed into her brother's arms, laughing as he held her up. Yeah, she missed him. She missed him way too much.

"Glad to have you back, _hermanita._ " 

She didn't know if it was the relief that her brother was just as lively as ever, or the fact that she was out of breath from dancing, or that she had just really, really missed him that did it, but tears began to cascade steadily down her cheeks, and she was making a mixture of laughing and sobbing at the same time.

"W-Wha... Holy shit, Hunk, holy fuck she's crying, I... Hunk!"

When had she become such a cry baby? Before Saturday night (Or Sunday morning, really), she hadn't cried in months. And yet here she was, spilling tears more than she ever had since she was a toddler. It felt good, actually. It felt relieving. It felt almost cleansing. A weight began to ease off her shoulders. "Shut up, Lance." she sighed, an out-of-breath chuckle escaping her lips. "It's alright. I'm happy, it's alright."

Despite being visibly concerned, Lance was never one to leave his dramatics behind.  _"Que le ha pasado a mi hermanita preciosa, hermanita hermosa, hermanita santa, que la ha traido tres mil millas de su casa? Que la ha traido a los brazos de su hermano mayor, su hermano guapo, su principe azul que la protejera hasta el fin del mundo—"_

Esmeralda laughed and pushed her brother away as he tried to smother her in his skinny, sweaty arms. "Don't be ridiculous, Lance." she chided, but her smile never left her face. "And I don't feel like spoiling the mood, it's only gonna make me cry for real."

"Hey, hey," he cooed, combing back her hair. "It's alright, you can cry however much you want. I'm here, alright? I've got you. You can tell me, it won't spoil anything."

His sister sighed and sat down on the couch, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I got kicked out of my high school, Lance." she began, and she proceeded to tell him everything she told Hunk, from punching her best friend to cutting her hair in the bathroom, buying a ticket and hitchhiking the rest of the way.

"... And, y'know, this old man named  _Coran_ picked me up, he sounded British but also Australian? Like, almost like New Zealand-ish. His accent was weird. Anyway, he had the craziest stories, said he was visiting his niece here in California, so he dropped me off. Nice man."

Lance and Hunk gaped at her, her older brother completely  _scandalized_ by the thought of his little sister just booking it across the country with only a knife and her wits, which were somehow sharper. It was something to admire. It was something to fear. 

"Lance, doesn't Allura have an uncle named Coran? She mentioned he was gonna visit a while back." Hunk chimed, but Lance ignored him in favor of scolding his sister.

"How are you still alive? You could've just... you could've just..."

"I know, Lance, I know." Esmeralda sighed. 

"Why didn't you just tell Mom and Dad why you punched her?" Lance asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I mean, they were fine when I came out to them, right? They would've understood."

The teenage girl frowned and looked down at her hands, where old nail polish was chipped and ruined at the ends. "I don't know. I guess I just..." she paused, tasting an answer in her mouth that she couldn't bring herself to tell her older brother. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him. "I didn't think of that at the time."

"Well, can you blame her?" Hunk asked, stepping up to defend Esmeralda ( _the absolute saint of a man_ ). "She had just been stabbed in the back by her best friend and kicked out of her high school, then pretty much grounded for life. Would a person that was thinking clearly cut off all her hair in her bathroom in the middle of the night?"

"Speaking of," Lance said, changing the subject. "you did a  _really_ terrible job, Esme. I mean, I  _loved_ your hair! It was so long and gorgeous and silky, I loved braiding it—"

"I was tired of looking at it." she replied simply. "I was sick of looking at the same person everyone's been looking at for years. I wanted change. I  _needed_ change."

"Allura's gonna be hanging out with you tomorrow." Lance stated, ruffling his sister's hair again. "She's probably gonna take you to get a haircut or go shopping or something."

The girl blushed. "I'm... I'm out of money, Lance. I can't buy any more clothes. Not that they'd fit into my backpack, anyway."

"I'll give you cash." replied Lance. "You think I give dance classes for free?"

"Wh... No, Lance, you don't have to do that." she insisted, a deep blush on her cheeks.  _He was probably going to use that money for something important, like food, water, clothes, books, school..._ "Please, it's okay, I can just... wash my clothes? You guys have a laundry room, right? I know how to do laundry! It's okay!"

"Uh, Lance? Check the chat, please." Hunk called from the kitchen, eyes glued to his phone.

 

_**shitpost central** _

**hunkofgorgeous:** [ _carboncopies.mp4_ ]

 **allurass:** thats so cute!!!!!!!! theyre dancing!!!!!! so in sync!!!!!!!!!! beautiful im so in love

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i wish i had a sibling

 **exasperatedFather:** wtf im right here

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i wish i had a sibling

 **hunkofgorgeous:** wtf esmeralda just started crying

 **pidgeonator3000:** she almost cried at my house too

 **allurass:** i want to protecc

 **allurass:** so i will attacc whoever hurt her

 **pidgeonator3000:** isnt that meme dead already

 **allurass:** it will be bacc

 **hunkofgorgeous:** shes telling the Story of why she came

 **hunkofgorgeous:** its totally wild

 **allurass:** i call dibs on her tomorrow

 **allurass:** we're gonna get our nails done and our hair and we're gonna go shopping and

 **allurass:** i want to pamper her

 **exasperatedFather:** why

 **allurass:** bc thats all i wanted when i was a teenager so thats what shes gonna get

 **allurass:** besides in that first picture lance sent she looked so worn out

 **allurass:** she needs to Rest

 **hunkofgorgeous:** she slept until twelve today

 **allurass:** she needs to R e s t

 **allurass:** put her on the phone i wanna speak to her

 **lemmesmash:** hey im here 

 **lemmesmash:** oh ok

 **lemmesmash:** hi!! this is esmeralda speaking

 **lemmesmash:** or. texting

 **allurass:** hi esmeralda!!! 

 **lemmesmash:** hi allura!!!

 **allurass:** hey, tomorrow i wanna do a lil treat yo self day w u

 **allurass:** is that cool?

 **lemmesmash:** holy shit i loved that episode of parks and rec

 **lemmesmash:** hell yeah im down

 **hunkofgorgeous:** ESMERALDA

 **hunkofgorgeous:** no swearing youre a child

 **lemmesmash:** im 16 hunk >:(

 **lemmesmash:** and wait i dont have any money :( i dont think i can go

 **lemmesmash:** habkjbkBKHFKJWFH IM GIVING HER CASH THIS IS LANCE SPEAKING

 **allurass:** NO IM TREATING HER

 **lemmesmash:** ALLURA SHES MY SISTER

 **allurass:** LET ME DO THIS LANCE

 **lemmesmash:** ALLURA

 **allurass:** L A N C E

 **lemmesmash:** hi this is esme i pushed lance off the couch

 **hunkofgorgeous:** [ _calllifealert.jpg_ ]

 **hunkofgorgeous:** can confirm

 **lemmesmash:** i feel bad about accepting lance or allura's offers (*´･Д･)

 **pidgeonator3000:** thats the cutest fucking thing ive ever seen

 **pidgeonator3000:** jfc when i was sixteen i was a huge shitlord

 **lemmesmash:** pidge youve met me i AM a huge shitlord

 **allurass:** so its decided!! ill be ur sugar auntie for the day

 **lemmesmash:** W a IT

 **allurass:** NO WAITS!! thats for the gym

 **exasperatedFather:** bad mom joke

 **allurass:** ill see u tomorrow esmeralda!!!! im excited to finally meet you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 **lemmesmash:** me too allura!!!!! thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 **lemmesmash:** hi im back did she tell u im paying

 **lemmesmash:** WTF THE FUCK

 **lemmesmash:** my pride? my dignity? 

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** what dignity

 **lemmesmash:** say ONE more thing and imma punch u prettyboy

 **exasperatedFather:** gay

 **hunkofgorgeous:** gay

 **allurass:** gay

 **pidgeonator3000:** gay

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** u think im pretty

 **lemmesmash:** NO

 **lemmesmash:** shut up

 **lemmesmash:** go away 

 **lemmesmash:** u stinky mullet

 **lemmesmash:** go ride a motorcyle ungly

 **pidgeonator3000:** dead meme

 **lemmesmash:** more like dead INSIDE

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> "Lance, que descarado!" basically means "Lance, how shameless/bold/sassy!"  
> "Eres mi hermana, como que ya deberías saber eso, ¿no?" - "You're my sister. You should already know that, right?"
> 
> "Que le ha pasado a mi hermanita preciosa, hermanita hermosa, hermanita santa, que la ha traido tres mil millas de su casa? Que la ha traido a los brazos de su hermano mayor, su hermano guapo, su principe azul que la protejera hasta el fin del mundo—" is just him saying  
> "What has happened to my precious sister, my beautiful sister, my holy sister, that has brought her 3000 miles from home? what has brought her into the arms of her older brother, her handsome brother, her prince charming who will always protect her until the ends of the earth—" bc hes a little shit and hes dramatic and my brother, whos just as overdramatic, has said this very same thing


	4. haircuts and knitting needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> allura and esmeralda spend time together
> 
> lotor shows up, for some strange reason

Esmeralda stood in front of her older brother's taller mirror, wearing her recently washed jeans and one of his blue baseball-style tees. He must have about a thousand of these, but this one barely fit her, threatening to fall from one shoulder.  _Actually, that looks cute, hold on._ She shrugged one side and the t-shirt slipped, revealing her sports bra strap underneath.  _Oh my god, now I just need a dad cap... Wait, does he have one?_

Once she found a cap that she liked, which unsurprisingly said  _THEY CALL ME THE TAILOR_ in the front and in the back,  _BECAUSE OF HOW I THREAD THE NEEDLE_ _;)_ , she frowned at how her now shorter hair stuck out awkwardly and unevenly on each side of her head. 

Still, she had to admit it was better than her long hair. She looked new, she looked different, she felt... herself. She felt human. She felt less like the perfect student, less like the obedient child, less like Lance's little lookalike.

Well, that last part's a bit more complicated to explain. Living under her brother's influences have to take a toll at one point, and she's not going to say that certain skills he taught her weren't useful, like knitting or lying. Using her current situation as an example, learning how to sneak out of the house quickly and quietly was important for the nights when she couldn't breathe. Their house had a flat roof she was glad to sit on and gaze at what little stars light pollution allowed her, and just practice being calm. Lance had used his skills to go out to parks and mess around with his friends. Esmeralda just wanted peace.

But it was a similarity nonetheless. He taught her his sense of humor, he taught her his mannerisms, she admired him in ways only a little sister could. He took care of her when her twin, Ramiro, was just too distant. When asked, she wasn't afraid to admit that yeah, Lance is her favorite, is it that obvious?

He molded her in ways that were small to outsiders, but home was a different story. Their mother, for some reason, just loved comparisons, especially when it came to the rare moments she'd scold Esmeralda.  _Do your homework, don't put it off until last second or you'll end up like Lance when he was your age,_ or  _Clean your room, you're just like Lance, all these water bottles everywhere,_ or  _You and Lance are exactly the same, always with those weird jokes,_ and on, and on, and on. She wasn't Esmeralda to her mother, or her brother, or her father or anyone that mattered. She was little Lance, his Mini-me, his carbon copy. 

She knew she was an entirely different person, but she didn't like her teachers bringing up her older brother whenever she was around, she didn't like her mother confusing them, she didn't like being introduced without anyone first mentioning  _Lance, hilarious Lance, troublemaking Lance, and this is his little sister, uh... what's your name again?_

She grabbed her backpack, checking inside quickly to make sure it hadn't been opened before. Extra change? Check. Charger? Check. Phone? Check. Yarn, knitting needles, and unfinished scarf? Check.

 _Actually, I haven't checked my phone since I got here. I wonder if I have any messages since I charged it._ she thought, and she quickly fished the iPhone from its special pocket, unlocking it with her fingerprint.

Pulling down the notifications center, she cringed at  _15 missed calls from Mamita Santa, 1 missed call from Lancey-Lance, 84 messages from shitpost central + esmeralda_

 _They added me to their chat?_ she realized, blush rushing to her cheeks.  _They didn't need to do that! I'm... I'm so much younger than them I'm gonna be such a downer, how lame that they have a fucking kid in their chat..._

Shaking those self-deprecating thoughts out of her head, she checked the chat anyway. 

 

_**shitpost central** _

**esmeraldamcclain:** hello?? im

 **esmeraldamcclain:** hi guys

 **pidgeonator3000:** sup

 **esmeraldamcclain:** um. not to be ungrateful or anything? but. youve added me to this chat

 **esmeraldamcclain:** and, i mean, thats cool! but isnt it awkward to have a kid in ur chat

 **exasperatedFather:** youre not 12, esmeralda, have confidence in yourself

 **exasperatedFather:** besides, we agreed that having you in this chat would be more convenient

 **exasperatedFather:** seeing as you can contact any one of us at any given moment in case of an emergency

 **exasperatedFather:** if not because we care about you as a person,

 **exasperatedFather:** but also because you are our best friends' little sister

 **exasperatedFather:** and if anything happened to you, he would be absolutely heartbroken

 **exasperatedFather:** and, in turn, so would we

 **esmeraldamcclain:** oh

 **esmeraldamcclain:** thats sweet

 **esmeraldamcclain:** you might have to come to my rescue soon though

 **exasperatedFather:** are you okay?

 **esmeraldamcclain:** [ _15missedcalls.jpg_ ]

 **pidgeonator3000:** OH SHIT

 **exasperatedFather:** uh oh

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i wish i got those

 **pidgeonator3000:** youre gonna make us all sad dude

 **esmeraldamcclain:** um

 **esmeraldamcclain:** im not understanding

 **exasperatedFather:** keith, explain

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** mom walked out on shiro and i when we were young and then our dad died

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** shiro was my legal guardian until i turned eighteen

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i still get to make orphan jokes tho

 **exasperatedFather:** no, you dont, you were never in an orphanage,

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** let me LIVE

 **esmeraldamcclain:** oh

 **pidgeonator3000:** youre scaring the poor kid

 **esmeraldamcclain:** um. can i change my name 

 **pidgeonator3000:**??? go for it

_**esmeraldamcclain** _ **changed their name to _itreallydobelikethat_**

**exasperatedFather:** explain

 **itreallydobelikethat:** [ _itreallydobelikethatsometimes.jpg_ ]

 **pidgeonator3000:** [ _whEEZE.jpg_ ]

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** B O N E L E S S A S S W H O O P I N G

 **exasperatedFather:** stop

 **itreallydobelikethat:** LIL BROOMSTICK

 **allurass:** what

 **allurass:** whos itreallydobelikethat

 **itreallydobelikethat:** hi allura!! its esmeralda :)

 **allurass:** [ _whEEZE.jpg_ ]

 **allurass:** sorry im officially adopting u as my little sister!! sorry lance u cant have her anymore

 **itreallydobelikethat:** <3

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** how do you do that

 **itreallydobelikethat:** do what

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** its like. you were laughing over memes one second,

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** and then youre being friendly towards allura,

 **itreallydobelikethat:**?? its called emotional range, ron weasley,

 **allurass:** OH SHIT

 **itreallydobelikethat:** people are more than just their sense of humor, or their brooding facade, or their warm behavior

 **itreallydobelikethat:** you'll find that each person has their own flaws and strengths that make them who they are

 **itreallydobelikethat:** and that real people arent just their behavior towards you or someone else, they are so much more

 **pidgeonator3000:** :O

 **exasperatedFather:** wow, uh

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i dont know what to say

 **itreallydobelikethat:** im sorry

 **itreallydobelikethat:** its. a sensitive subject for me

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** no youre right. im sorry

 **itreallydobelikethat:** you dont have to apologize, you didnt do anything wrong

 **itreallydobelikethat:** i lectured you out of nowhere, and it was condescending

 **itreallydobelikethat:** even if what you said didnt sit right, you dont deserve to be spoken to like that

 **itreallydobelikethat:** im sorry, keith

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** wow

 **pidgeonator3000:** you cant see it but hes super flustered right now

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** shiro take notes

 **exasperatedFather:** i lecture you because, despite your serious demeanor, you have the tendency to

 **exasperatedFather:** whats the term?

 **exasperatedFather:** impulsively ruin your life

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** [ _yougotmethere.jpg_ ]

 **allurass:** while i hate to break up this Deep Conversation, im omw to pick you up esme

 **allurass:** so we can go S H O P P I N G

 **allurass:** im gonna buy u the entire mall

 **itreallydobelikethat:** i dont think thats gonna fit in my backpack :/

 **allurass:** ill get u eighteen backpacks

 **allurass:** all louis and prada and gucci

 **exasperatedFather:** allura and her uncle coran inherited her father's company when he passed away

 **exasperatedFather:** they own a chain of very prestigious spas and salons here in california

 **exasperatedFather:** she enjoys that bougie life

 **allurass:** i manage a lot of the salons close by personally, while my uncle will visit the farther ones

 **itreallydobelikethat:** um. this might be a weird question but what does he look like??

 **allurass:** hes got red hair and a mustache that he styles for some reason

 **itreallydobelikethat:** does he have a new zealand accent

 **allurass:**... yes

 **itreallydobelikethat:** ive met your uncle he gave me a ride from las vegas to here

 **allurass:** WTF THE FUCK

 **allurass:** u know what lets talk about it in the car im outside

 **itreallydobelikethat:** sweet omw

 

When Esmeralda walked out to the parking lot, backpack in hand, she didn't know what she was expecting. She really shouldn't have been surprised by a convertible painted a sky blue. There was a woman sitting in the front seat with dark skin and platinum white hair, and she wore round, expensive sunglasses with dark berry lipstick.

She was absolutely gorgeous. Esmeralda almost felt lucky to have been spotted and given a bright, white-toothed smile. "Esme!" Allura exclaimed, waving her over. "C'mon, get in! We've got tons to do today!"

Esmeralda got in the car, buckled her seatbelt, and held her backpack close to her chest, afraid it was somehow going to fly off during the ride. She had to hold her hat as they rode through the town, the cool Autumn air incredibly refreshing for the heat she usually experienced in Florida. They talked little as they rode, but the silence was comfortable, and Allura just gave a friendly air.

Their first stop was at one of Allura's salons, a building with tall windows on a street corner with chandeliers so glittering and bright they shone even outside the establishment. When they entered, the first thing Esmeralda noticed were the floors, crisp white tile that was absolutely spotless, and then the endless amount of hanging lights from the ceiling. There were green ferns decorating pretty much everywhere, and several ladies were sitting underneath dryers.

"Allura! How wonderful to see you again, darling." A tall man standing at the reception desk gushed, clasping his hands together dramatically. He had long hair dyed almost the same as Allura's, and he had handsome, almost sharper features to his face. He smiled wide at Allura, and when he turned to see Esmeralda, he froze. "Oh god," he began, and he walked out from behind the desk to scrutinize her more closely. "your  _hair!"_

"Yes, Lotor, she knows," Allura droned, crossing her arms. "Esmeralda, sweetheart, this is Lotor. He's a family friend. He's going to be doing your hair today. He's extensively trained and very  _talented_ , so you're in good hands. Lotor," The woman turned to look at him with a practiced smile. "please take into consideration her personal style. Do whatever she asks for, whether it be hair dye or highlights or anything. She is an extremely important client."

"Of course, Allura, don't you worry." he answered. "Though I would love to know what happened to your hair, Miss _Esmeralda_."

 "I cut it myself." she replied. "In my bathroom, at three in the morning while having a breakdown, with scissors." She smiled as she watched him physically cringe, unappreciative of his particularly...  _pompous_ flair and British accent. 

"Oh, Jesus Christ, have we got work to do." He led her to a station and motioned for her to sit down and lean back, turning on a tap and rifling through a shampoo cabinet. 

"I'll just watch and make sure everything goes well." Allura stated. She crossed her arms and leaned her tall figure against one of the cement columns. 

"So,  _Esmeralda_ , what would you like today?" asked Lotor, massaging the shampoo into her scalp.

"Well, a better haircut, that'd be nice."

"No, no, anything specific? A bob, a blunt cut, layers, coloring, a  _perm_..."

"No! No perms. I mean, I guess layers would be nice... and I don't know about coloring, I don't think I'd be very good for upkeep..."

"You know what? I'm asking the wrong questions." Lotor realized, rinsing her hair off gently. "How about you just tell me about yourself. For example, what brings you to my capable hands?"

" _Lotor,_ " Allura warned, but the man only sighed. 

"You said take into account her  _personal style,_ Allura, and that means getting to know the  _person_ with the  _hair_."

"Well, Allura brought me."

Lotor groaned as he began to work conditioner into her hair this time. "No, no, I mean what made you cut your hair. What's this I hear about a breakdown?"

"Oh, that. Well, I got into a fight at school, got expelled, got grounded, had a breakdown for tons of reasons, chopped my hair off which used to reach my waist by the way, packed my stuff, stole some cash, snuck out in the middle of the night and ran here to see my brother, Lance." she recounted, closing her eyes. 

"Ooh! The Cuban one with the hips?" Lotor exclaimed, grinning down at Esmeralda.

The girl sighed, defeated. "Yeah, him."

"You don't seem very happy about that."

Esmeralda was taken aback by that. "No, no, of course I am! I love my brother. He's been really sweet."

"Is there something about him bothering you?"

"No, I... well, I mean, not really. It's just... I don't know, lately it's seemed like I can't escape him."

Allura perked up where she stood, listening intently. "What do you mean escape him?"

The girl sighed, clearly unhappy with where the conversation was going. "No, not escape him, I just... like, people can't seem to see me without associating me with Lance. He's taught me a lot when I was younger, you know, and I idolized him because he's my older brother, popular, funny, nice... I wanted to be like him. And then I grew out of that, right, when I was like, eleven and I joined boxing. But I was still known as Lance's little sister, Lance's little carbon copy, Lance's little minion, and at first I didn't mind. And then when I was fourteen he went off to college, right, and I thought all the comparisons would stop. They didn't.

"We went to the same high school, and of course all his teachers remembered him. Lance the troublemaker, Lance the talkative one, Lance the ladies' man, so when I came along it was all they saw. I made friends, particularly with a friend named Anna, and things were tolerable at school for a while. But then Mom kept comparing me to him and using his as an example for what  _not_ to do, apparently, and that's not a pleasant thing to hear about your sibling! So it made me angry on two fronts, that she was dissing Lance and that she wasn't seeing me, she was seeing  _him_ , which hurts even  _more_. But wait! It doesn't end there!" she exclaimed. Esmeralda could already feel her face getting red with unreleased anger.

"So my friend Anna, right? She's sweet, she's cool, she's  _cute_ , and one day I realize I like her as a  _girlfriend,_ not a  _best friend_ , and I have this whole sexuality crisis. Anyway, I decide to tell her and she freaks out, she's absolutely disgusted, which is a total nightmare! I mean, worst that can happen when you confess to someone. Until the actual worst thing that can happen actually happens, which is that she went around school dissing me and gossiping. And it's not like I could've talked to my parents, right, because you know who  _else_ had to come out to his parents? That's right! Lance! So of  _course_ his little Mini-Me is into girls, she's totally trying to follow in his footsteps! And that's the  _last_ thing you want your parents to think. So I'm stuck! I'm fucking stuck with an issue only I can deal with, an issue I have to keep under wraps. And I've never had to deal with something like that before. So, I did the one thing I was trained to do."

She sat up when Lotor wrapped her hair up in a towel, and looked him dead in the eye. "I knocked her the fuck out." she deadpanned. "Right hook, right in the cheek, my knuckles are still bruised. And the guidance counselor suddenly appears out of nowhere, screaming her god damn head off, and next thing I know the principal is kicking me out of her office with my parents close behind and I'm grounded for life. My parents are so disappointed, I can feel it radiating off of them in waves, because I'm Esmeralda, sweet Esmeralda, Lance's little copy, never acts out against her parents, responsible, reliable, headstrong, patient, patient, patient. So I stay in all of Saturday, being upset, and I skip dinner because the last thing I want to do is look my mother in the eye, and everything's crashing down around me, so I decide to ruin the one thing that makes Esmeralda  _Esmeralda_ , the one they  _know_ , because they don't  _know_ anything! It's three in the morning, I'm standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I grab all my fucking hair, and I just chop it clean off. Because I'm done! And nothing fucking matters anymore!" 

She gets sat down at a chair in front of a mirror, and Lotor puts a cape on her with a patient smile. "So yeah. Thats what brings me to your  _capable hands_." she finished. "Is that enough of a Tragic Backstory?"

Lotor gave her a knowing grin and began to comb her hair back. "I know exactly what to do. Just one more question." 

"What is it?"

"What's your favorite color?" 

Esmeralda paused. Her favorite color? "... Green. My favorite color is green."

"Alright. Well, Esmeralda, you just sit back, relax, and let me fix your hair up. And don't worry about upkeep, we'll send you off with a product regimen." cooed Lotor. 

So Esmeralda did just that. She relaxed, feeling herself calm down after having spilled everything to Allura and Lotor. "Wait! Allura, you're not gonna tell Lance any of what I just said, right?" she asked, wide blue eyes pleading to the woman through the mirror.

"That's something you should work out with him by yourself." the woman replied, a gentle smile on her face. "He'll understand."

Esmeralda closed her eyes, releasing whatever tension she had left inside of her. "I hope so."

 

_**shitpost central** _

**lemmesmash:** just got home! you still at the mall with my sister, lura?

 **allurass:** i'm on my way to drop her back off at your place

 **allurass:** you will not believe how many compliments your sister's gotten on her hair

 **lemmesmash:** lotor truly does wonders

 **lemmesmash:** id smash if he wasnt so pretentious

 **itreallydobelikethat:** hes a good listener

 **lemmesmash:** HELLO MY LOVELY SISTER, LIGHT OF MY LIFE, MY BEAUTIFUL GAL

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i wish shiro talked to me like that

 **exasperatedFather:** u little shitstain

 **itreallydobelikethat:** u absolute buffoon

 **exasperatedFather:** GOOD ONE

 **lemmesmash:** i wish i got compliments when i get haircuts :( nobody even notices

 **itreallydobelikethat:** uhhhh

 **itreallydobelikethat:** i notice bc u look like an pencil with a really worn out eraser

 **pidgeonator3000:** WASTED

 **itreallydobelikethat:** and i didnt just get a haircut

 **allurass:** hehehehehe

 **lemmesmash:**... moms gonna kill you

 **allurass:** im getting halsey vibes

 **lemmesmash:** WHAT HAVE U DONE TO MY SISTERS GLORIOUS HAIR

 **itreallydobelikethat:** you'll see when i get home

 **hunkofgorgeous:** hes vibrating with anger on the couch esmeralda youre gonna give him cardiac arrest

 **exasperatedFather:** now you know how i feel when keith does literally anything

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** thanks

 **pidgeonator3000:** its been five minutes and nobody's said anything

 **hunkofgorgeous:** lance is dead

 **hunkofgorgeous:** the boy knits you a sweater of tears

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** and you kill him

 **lemmesmash:** [ _GREENHAIR.jpg_ ]

 **pidgeonator3000:** HOLY SHIT

 **exasperatedFather:** man lotor really does work wonders

 **lemmesmash:** IM

 **lemmesmash:** it looks SO GOOD but mom is gonna fucking obliterate her

 **itreallydobelikethat:** its just balayage

 **allurass:** hes also mad over the sephora shopping spree we went on

 **allurass:** hes seething but hes also drooling its kind of funny

 **allurass:** extreme jealousy

 **itreallydobelikethat:** i feel like we went overboard with the natasha denona

 **itreallydobelikethat:** i shamefully dont know enough about makeup to deem it a fair price so ill just say quiet

 **lemmesmash:** dont even get me started on her new luggage AND the clothes from h&m

 **allurass:** she just kept looking good in whatever she tried on sue me

 **pidgeonator3000:** i love watching lance melt into his living room carpet

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** wait i wanna watch

 **pidgeonator3000:** of course you do

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** i hate u u fucking rotten lime

 **pidgeonator3000:** make jabs at my green clothing palette all you want

 **pidgeonator3000:** it still wont bring mcr back together

 **itreallydobelikethat:** LMAO

 


	5. thanksgiving shopping and an unfortunate conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh: part 1

"Lance, Esmeralda, c'mon! We're gonna miss the best turkeys!" Hunk called from the front door, stuffing his hands in his university hoodie. 

"Yeah, yeah, we're going!" Lance yelled back, brushing his hair. "You ready, Esme?"

Esmeralda slipped her phone into her back pocket and shrugged on a sweater. "Yeah, let's go."

The trio were off to the supermarket to buy ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. It was the first time Lance and Hunk were gonna hold a celebration and invite their friends. The only reason they were doing it was because Esmeralda was visiting and Lance would rather die than disappoint his sister, so with much begging, they both took a day off work to go shopping.

When they got to the supermarket, they immediately realized they weren't the only ones with the same idea. The building was packed with screaming children, mortified mothers, distracted fathers, and one or two pairs of grandparents. Hunk simply pushed back his sleeves and stared everyone they passed by down, obviously extremely focused on the task at hand.

"So, what do we need to find?" Esmeralda asked, looking up at her brother's best friend. 

"We need a turkey, stuffing, bread rolls, potatoes, pasta, asparagus, cranberry chutney, brussel sprouts, peas..." Hunk handed Lance and Esmeralda each a copy of the shopping list. "Lance, you're on baking, spices, and dairy, Esmeralda you're on produce. I'll be on meats and turkey duty. Got it?"

"Got it." Both Lance and Esmeralda chirped at the same time, standing at attention.

The trio separated, and Esmeralda made sure to keep her phone on her at all times in case anything went wrong. Hopefully it didn't.

 

Lance, on the other side of the store, was scanning the aisles for the things he was assigned to get. He found the pasta and the bread rolls easily enough, but the dairy aisle was a mess since some stupid kid decided to drop three gallons of milk. He had to go around throngs of people to even catch a glimpse at the aisle, but when he did, he was met with an almost empty display. 

He gathered what eggs he could get, buttercream, milk, butter, and heavy cream. When he caught sight of one lonely, last package of Yakult, he froze.  _I... I need those. I love Yakult. I... I LOVE YAKULT._

He snatched the package and quickly as he could, earning the stink eye from an emo eleven year old, and he immediately left for the spices aisle.

 

Esmeralda pushed along a heavy cart of potatoes, brussel sprouts, onions, and more, getting lost in the endless array of vegetables and fruits she had never even heard of. Where had Hunk even gotten this shopping list? How were they gonna make everything in time?

_"Ok, here's the game plan," Hunk had said before leaving for the store, "We're going to cook what we can refrigerate tonight and let the turkey marinate. Then, tomorrow, we reheat everything and put everything we need to bake in the oven. Turkey goes first, and then the pie will go after. Got it?"_

_"Why don't we just... order pizza? That sounds so much easier and is much less costly!"_

_"Um, no, you wanted Thanksgiving dinner so we're getting the BEST Thanksgiving dinner ever."_

The girl huffed, reaching for the last bunch of fresh sage. Another hand bumped into hers, and she looked up to see Lotor, the guy from Allura's salon. "Oh, Lotor! Hi!"

The man in question smiled down at her, toting his own ingredient-filled basket. "Thanksgiving groceries, I presume?" he asked. He picked up the sage and handed it to her with a wink. "I'd say that's more important than the tea I was gonna use it for. Here."

Esmeralda grinned up at him. "Thank you! Hunk will be super happy." 

"Oh, you're with Hunk? Is your brother here?" He asked. 

The girl paused before looking down at her list. "Yeah, he came with us. He's on dairy, baking, and spices. You can probably catch him if you hurry."

"I'll go say hi, then. I'll see you around, Esmeralda." The man waved as he walked off, leaving Esmeralda to her thoughts. 

 _I hope he doesn't say anything weird to him,_ she thought. 

 

Lance eyed the last bottle of paprika with cruel intentions. He was by no means a short guy, but whichever tall asshole had decided to hide the last bottle on the top most shelf needed a good beatdown. 

Suddenly, a shadow blocked the light from his left and a long arm stretched just enough to reach the bottle. "Here."

Lance looked up to see Lotor, and he froze as Lotor handed him the bottle. "Oh, thanks Lotor."

"My pleasure," he responded, giving the shorter man a wink. "So, what brings you here?" Lotor leaned forward, looking down at Lance with half-lidded eyes. 

"Oh, I, uh... I'm just helping Hunk shop for groceries for Thanksgiving dinner." Lance answered, placing the spice in his basket and holding onto his cart tightly.  _This guy makes me so uncomfortable._ "Um, what about you?"

"Same here, though I'm afraid I'll be spending it by myself this year, all alone." Lotor sighed, looking off into the distance. "You know, if the party dies down at your place, you're perfectly welcome to join me. We could have a lot of fun, just the two of us."

When Lotor stepped forward, Lance stepped back, an embarrassed blush burning his cheeks. "Oh, no, I don't think I could do that, y'know, my sister's in town and I wouldn't want to leave her more than I had to, uh..."

Lotor stepped back, then, realizing Lance was just not interested. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Lotor was not just pushy, he was petty. "Yes, I suppose that's appropriate." he replied, tone a very underhanded kind of sharp. "Though, I'd say she's quite enjoying her time away from you if the conversation we had yesterday has any relevance."

Lance stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Lotor in shock. "What... are you talking about?"

"Oh, I guess I've said too much. Nevermind then. I'll see you around, Lance. Call me if you ever want to meet up sometime."

 _No chance in hell,_ Lance thought. When Lotor finally disappeared into the crowd, Lance sighed.  _What did he even mean by that?_

 

As Lance drove the two back to the apartment, Esmeralda couldn't help but notice he was being strangely quiet. "So..." she began, fiddling with the sleeves of her sweater. "I saw you got a packet of Yakult. Sweet."

"Yeah, I guess." Lance answered. He sounded... deflated? Disappointed, almost. 

She wanted to ask what was wrong, but she stopped herself at the last second. Lance had never hid his worries from her before, especially if they had something to do with their family or something she knew about. Odds were that, if he wasn't sharing this issue with her, it was something private, and she should stay out of it.

The car ride was quiet after that, and even when they unloaded all of the groceries, things were quiet.

It was unusual. Even Hunk picked up on it, Esmeralda could tell, but he didn't say a word, either.

They cooked in silence the whole afternoon, and she felt the silence become more pointedly towards her. Still, she was afraid to ask. She remembered that Lance's anxiety would act up a lot back home, and she'd often comfort him through those times. But even more notorious than his insecurities was his temper, and she'd rather not be the target this time.

So when they finished, and the kitchen was clean, Esmeralda just excused herself and went straight to Lance's room, getting dressed for bed quickly and prepping her skin for sleeping. Lance entered just shortly after do his own routine wordlessly and disappeared back into the living room.

The silence was uneasy, but she figured it wouldn't last long. She hoped so, anyway.

 

_**shitpost central** _

**allurass:** how was shopping for thanksgiving dinner?? 

 **allurass:** i finally got word from coran, but he wont be able to make it :( 

 **allurass:** ill definitely be there though!

 **lemmesmash:** it was fine i guess

 **hunkofgorgeous:** shopping went great, we found everything we needed to and we didn't even have to kill anyone

 **hunkofgorgeous:** that wouldve been unfortunate

 **itreallydobelikethat:** i bumped into lotor, actually

 **allurass:** oh

 **lemmesmash:** yeah so did i

 **allurass:** did he say anything?

 **lemmesmash:** not really

 **lemmesmash:** it was whatever

 **pidgeonator3000:** hey, you ok lance?

 **allurass:** yeah youre not acting like yourself

 **lemmesmash:** what do you mean

 **itreallydobelikethat:** youve been pretty quiet

 **itreallydobelikethat:** are you sure youre alright?

 **lemmesmash:** im fine esmeralda

 **itreallydobelikethat:** are you?

 **lemmesmash:** just drop it already

 **lemmesmash:** you sound just like mom, nagging at me

 **itreallydobelikethat:** oh

 **exasperatedFather:** Lance.

 **lemmesmash:** what?? its annoying

 **itreallydobelikethat:** sorry

 **lemmesmash:** whatever

 **pidgeonator3000:**... awkwardddd...

 

Esmeralda huffed and turned her phone off, letting it charge overnight and not wanting the notifications to disrupt her sleep. If Lance wanted to be like that, then fine. 

Unfortunately, things were not fine. And tomorrow, they were only going to get worse.


	6. the dinner and the fire escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh: part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how to hurt ur sister's feelings: a comprehensive guide by lance mcclain

The first straw came when Esmeralda was helping Lance and Hunk heat everything up. The air was tense with unresolved conflict and all three of them could feel it, but no one was brave enough to say something.

So they kept quiet. At least, until Esmeralda had been fishing through the pantry while looking for aluminum foil that she dropped a box cereal. Lucky it wasn't Lance's favorite, right?

"What the hell, Esme?" Lance hissed, and he pushed his sister aside to pick up the box. "You did that on purpose!"

The girl furrowed her eyebrows at him and the way his eyes, filled with anger, focused on her. "What are you talking about? I was looking for aluminum foil!"

"Yeah, right! You dropped the cereal, you clean it up." he spat, and he whacked her on the head with the box before closing it and putting it back.

When he turned around, Esmeralda stuck out her tongue and mimicked him silently before kneeling to scoop up the spilled pieces.  _Why's he being such an asshole?_

Hunk only looked on with a frown on his face, slipping the turkey into the oven.  _Why are they fighting so much? Just a couple days ago he was dancing and reciting poems in Spanish._ He only hoped the two could keep it together until dinner, but he had a feeling things wouldn't last until then.

The second straw came when it was time to make sage dressing, and upon Hunk's orders, Esmeralda fished out the bunch of sage she had bought from the fridge. "Wait... wait, this isn't sage." she realized, taking out the bunch tied with a string. "This is fucking  _rosemary!_ "

"You bought rosemary instead of sage?" Lance asked, crossing his arms. 

"Wh... I was there when I got the sage! Lotor handed it to me! He must've switched it out for rosemary when I wasn't paying attention!" she exclaimed. "That bastard!"

"Oh, wouldn't wanna go insulting your new best friend now," Lance mocked. "God, can't you do anything right?"

Esmeralda froze, not wanting to admit that hearing that from her favorite brother hurt. "What the hell is your  _problem,_ Lance?" she asked, scowling at him. "You've been in a shit mood all day yesterday, and you're just being an absolute asshole now! Just tell me what's wrong!"

"You're so  _nosy_ , Esmeralda! Why do you even care? So you can go tell everyone what you think of me behind my back? I expected that from anyone else but  _you."_

"What are you even saying? I don't understand!"

Lance groaned, pulling at the short hair on the top of his head. "Just forget it! And stay out of my business."

Then, the third and final straw: he huffed and turned back to the stove. "Sometimes, I wish you weren't my sister."

Time seemed to freeze. Esmeralda looked at Lance, at her absolutely favorite sibling, as tears began to stream steadily down her cheeks. That was the absolute  _last_ thing she wanted to hear from anyone, let alone him. She gathered every fibre of strength in her being, closed her eyes, and said the one thing she would have otherwise never said. " _Me too._ "

She stomped out of the kitchen and hid in Lance's bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"You went way too far, Lance." Hunk scolded his best friend, waving his spoon around. "You don't treat family like that."

"I don't care." he huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly. "If she doesn't want to be here, she's perfectly welcome to leave!" He yelled just loud enough to make sure Esmeralda heard her, but there was no response. 

Hunk only looked at Lance with unease, and then went back to heating everything up.

 

_**shitpost central** _

_**itreallydobelikethat has left the chat** _

**pidgeonator3000:**?

 

When everyone arrived (everyone meaning Keith, Shiro, Pidge, and Allura), the table (which was for four people, yikes) was set for seven and the place was mildly decorated. Lance's Latin music playlist was playing in the background on low volume, and before the turkey finished cooking, they all sat down in the living room and just talked for a while.

Pidge was the first person to bring up Esmeralda, just five minutes after they sat down. "Hey, where's your sister?"

Hunk frowned and spoke up before Lance got the answer. "She went into Lance's room two hours ago and hasn't come out."

"Did she lock herself in there?" Pidge asked. "She left the chat two hours ago, too."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I sent her a couple messages asking if she was okay, but she never answered. In fact, I don't think they delivered." Allura pitched in. "She might have turned her phone off."

"Well, I don't blame her for being upset. Lance  _did_ yell at her." said Hunk. "I still think you went way too far, man."

"Whatever, she'll get over it." Lance replied. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the couch. 

"What did you say, Lance?" Shiro asked, frowning down at him. 

"He said that sometimes he wished she wasn't his sister." Hunk answered for him, leaning on the kitchen counter. "She started crying, and then she said  _Me too_ before locking herself inside his room. It was really sad."

Suddenly, a pillow flew across the room and hit Lance square in the face. "The fuck is wrong with you?" Pidge hissed, standing up. "You don't say that to your sister!"

"Don't tell me how to deal with my sister!" Lance yelled back, throwing the pillow and missing by a mile.

"You're the adult, Lance! You don't get to react immaturely like that. Whatever problem you had with her, you have to put your big boy pants on and learn to deal with it  _maturely_!" Allura scolded. "The poor girl is probably heartbroken."

"Not to point out the obvious, Lance," Keith piped in as he leaned against the wall, "but the last time she was ' _heartbroken'  _she didn't react very well. That's the whole reason she's here, isn't it?"

"Oh, please, if she had run away we would've seen her walk out, right? She's not  _that_ sneaky." 

There were a few long seconds of silence before everyone sprung to attention. " _THE FIRE ESCAPE!"_

Everyone rushed to Lance's door, and began furiously pulling at the door knob. "Esmeralda, are you in there? Let us in!" Shiro called. After they got no answer, he began kicking the door, but it didn't give.

"Ugh, move over, let  _me_ do it." Allura said, and she stepped back before she kicked that door in and it flew off its hinges, landing and crashing in a pile of laundry behind the door. "Jesus, Lance, you'd think you'd clean your room for your sister."

As they had thought, the room was empty. Esmeralda's backpack was gone, along with her luggage and a few bags. His window, which led to the fire escape, was wide open, and right in front of it, on the floor, was a ripped up yellow sticky note.

Lance felt his heart start to beat rapidly, and whatever anger he had left over from their fight dissipated into panic. He rushed to the window and poked his head out, feeling fear and frustration start to snake its way down his spine and into his very core. " _ESMERALDA_!" He called out into the street, but there was no answer, only the dying traffic of dusk hour and a ringing in his ears. 

His sister was going to get lost in Los Angeles. She could be robbed, kidnapped, or even worse, and he was the one that drove her to it. He lost his sister because he was a terrible brother, and all he had wanted to do was comfort her, get to know her again, spend time with her. 

"I lost my sister." he sighed as he slid against the wall, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "I lost my sister, and it's all my fault."

"We're going to get her back, Lance." Keith said, kneeling to place his hands on his shoulders. "We're going to get her back and everything's going to be fine. It's been two hours, how far could she have gotten?"

"I'll go track her phone down, see if we can get the location of its' last ping. Everything's gonna be fine, Lance." said Pidge, and they quickly went back to their apartment, where all of equipment was set up.

"I'll go with Shiro and search for her by car, hit up bus stops and maybe the airport. Check to see if she stole money, maybe the amount will give us a clue as to what she might take." Allura added.

Lance checked his secret stash, namely third book from right, page 69, and found the same amount of money as when he last checked it. "It's... It's all there. Maybe she had an emergency stash in her backpack?"

"We'll go search anyway. We'll keep each other updated in the chat, alright?" Shiro finished, and he and Allura went off together.

"C'mon, Lance, get up." Keith grabbed Lance's hand and lifted him up, dragging him towards the front door. "We'll go on foot, okay?"

"I'll call Shay and stay behind with her. She'll keep an eye out on the balcony and I'll try to get in touch as best as I can." Hunk said, and he turned off the oven and stove. "Until further notice, Thanksgiving dinner is cancelled."

"Everything's gonna be okay, Lance. Everything's gonna be okay." Keith kept repeating those words as he pulled him to front of the main building, looking out onto the main street.

Lance could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: the klance and shay/hunk youve all been waiting for!


	7. the nest, the tracker, the hunters, and the bloodhounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pidgeonator3000: OPERATION FIND ESMERALDA IS A GO

_**shitpost central** _

**pidgeonator3000:** im at command center, tracking esmeralda's signal

 **pidgeonator3000:** awaiting a ping, map of the greater southern california area at the ready

 **pidgeonator3000:** by my calculations, particularly tracking bus and airplane times,

 **pidgeonator3000:** would esmeralda travel by bus, her radius would be to san diego by now

 **pidgeonator3000:** however, that would not be wise, and she knows that

 **pidgeonator3000:** odds are shes walking around town right now

 **pidgeonator3000:** if she has any contacts here she may be staying with them

 **pidgeonator3000:** if she had the intentions to return to florida, shed wait until she had a clear head to travel

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** you're stressing lance out, pidge

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** he's holding onto my hand for dear life

 **pidgeonator3000:** im jotting that down

 **pidgeonator3000:** and im trying to outhink her

 **pidgeonator3000:** but i dont know her well enough to do so

 **allurass:** my uncle is staying in san francisco

 **allurass:** im unsure if hes exchanged contact info with esmeralda or if hes able to get in touch with her

 **pidgeonator3000:** her phone is off allura none of us can

 **allurass:** she cant stay disconnected forever

 **allurass:** she mentioned he drove her here from los angeles

 

 **allurass:** if she somehow makes it up north we have a contact

 **pidgeonator3000:** lets assume she wants to get back to florida

 **pidgeonator3000:** she has ~ three days to get back

 **pidgeonator3000:** north california is a possibility but its not a big one

 **pidgeonator3000:** it would only make going back to florida more difficult

 **pidgeonator3000:** im sure she knows that

 **allurass:** we dont know her well enough to put ourselves in her shoes

 **allurass:** for all we know she may not be thinking clearly

 **allurass:** shes a kid. the first thing she wants is somewhere safe 

 **allurass:** for now, let's just wait for a ping

 **allurass:** bloodhounds are scanning the downtown area

 **allurass:** hunters are asking rolo for information

 **pidgeonator3000:** rolo?

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** he walks his dogs out at the same time esmeralda may have left

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** he goes around our building and if he saw a girl going through the fire escape

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** he wouldve certainly taken notice

 **pidgeonator3000:** good point

 **pidgeonator3000:** ill stay alert

 **allurass:** same here

 **allurass:** shay texted me, says hunk is too nervous to use his phone

 **allurass:** shell alert me if they see her

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** gtg were about to interrogate rolo

 

"Rolo,  _please_. We need to know if you've seen this girl anywhere around here." Keith asked, holding up a picture of Esmeralda Lance had kept in his wallet. 

The man in question leaned forward and squinted to see the photo, his girlfriend Nyma peeking over his shoulder. "Yeah, I think I saw her a couple hours ago when I was walkin' the boys. I don't really remember, though, you might have to help me out here..." He rubbed his index and middle fingers together with his thumb, giving Keith a wink. "If you know what I mean."

Lance had been standing beside Keith, eyes puffy and red, hands in his pockets and glaring down at the ground. When he heard Rolo, he looked up and scowled at the shorter man, fists clenched in anger. "That's my  _sister_ , you asshole!"

He heard Keith sigh, and in a flash, Rolo was pressed up against the wall outside, arms twisted behind him and face shoved into the plaster. "Fine. You wanted to do this the hard way? Let's do this the hard way. Where the hell is she?"

"I don't... I don't know! I saw her go north, I don't know. Jesus Christ, man, let me go!"

Keith huffed and backed off, grabbing Lance's arm. "We have a lead. Let's go."

They walked off together, Keith still holding onto Lance. "She'll be okay, Lance, everything's gonna be fine."

"You keep saying that," Lance said, and he stopped in his tracks, looking down at Keith. "but we don't know for sure. Keith, I... if I lose her, if she goes missing, if she... the last words I said to her..."

"Hey, hey," Keith grabbed Lance's shoulders, trying to shake him out of it. "we'll find her, okay? We'll find her, and you two are gonna talk, and you're gonna be fine, and she's gonna be fine."

Lance sniffed and nodded, but he choked on his sobs anyway, and furiously wiped away at his wet cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I— It's all my fault."

Keith pulled Lance to a bench and did the only thing he could think to do: he pulled the taller man into a hug, and Lance let him, holding onto Keith for dear life. "It's alright, Lance. She's gonna be okay." 

After a few minutes, they both pulled away, and Keith brought up his hand to wipe away the wet tracks on Lance's smooth, tan skin. "We'll find her, Lance. I promise."

Lance nodded silently, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. "Okay. Okay. It's... It's 9:30 PM, we have time. We have time."

"We'll stay out all night if we have to." Keith decided. "But I promise you, we'll find her."

 

Hunk, meanwhile, was kneeled by the toilet, spilling his guts out into the porcelain throne. He was a nervous guy, sure, but at this point he honestly felt like he was going to fall into a coma. 

He was an only child, he didn't understand what it was like to fight with a sibling like Lance and Esmeralda did. He didn't think he'd ever understand, either; Lance was the closest thing he had to a brother, but they never fought like that. He didn't know what would happen next. Would Esmeralda even forgive Lance? Would they make up and she'd come back? 

Would they even find her?

 _No, no, I can't think like that. I have to stay strong, I have to stay patient, I have to keep my fucking lunch inside of my stomach where it BELONGS._ Hunk took a deep breath and stood up, rinsing his water quickly and stepping out into the living room where Shay was pacing anxiously. "Any sign of her?"

"None. Where do you think she went?" She sat on the couch, lips turned downwards in a frown and right hand on a dark, freckled cheek in worry.

"I don't know. I don't know." Hunk sighed, tugging off his apron. "I just... I'm so worried about her. About Lance. It's been an hour since everyone left and... and there's no sign of her."

"We'll find her, Hunk." Shay cooed, standing up to comfort him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and just held him for a while. "Don't worry."

 

_**shitpost central** _

**pidgeonator3000:** WE'VE GOT ONE PING FROM LOS ANGELES BUS STATION AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 PM

 **pidgeonator3000:** LOG SHOWS ONE PHONE CALL TO A 412 NUMBER

 **pidgeonator3000:** FURTHER RESEARCH SHOWS IT TO BE A SAN FRANCISCO NUMBER

 **allurass:** THAT MIGHT BE MY UNCLE

 **pidgeonator3000:** HIT THE GAS ON SHIRO'S PICK UP, ALLURA, DRIVE TO LABS IMMEDIATELY

 **allurass:** LANCE KEITH WHERE ARE YOU?

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** on the corner of Figueroa and 37th

 **allurass:** you guys covered SUCH little ground ANYWAY we're on our way to pick you two up and then we're off to see lance's sister

 **pidgeonator3000:** HURRY TF UP THERE'S AN SF BUS LEAVING AT 10 PM

 

**alluraaltea > corancoranthegorgeousman**

**alluraaltea:** hello uncle!!

 **corancoranthegorgeousman:** HELLO ALLURA

 **corancoranthegorgeousman:** HOW ARE YOU ON THIS FINE EVENING

 **alluraaltea:** say uncle are you expecting company for tomorrow

 **corancoranthegorgeousman:** WHY YES I AM! A FRIEND I MET IN LAS VEGAS WILL BE STAYING WITH ME BRIEFLY UNTIL SHE FINDS A FLIGHT FOR HER HOME IN FLORIDA!

 **alluraaltea:** i see! im texting you about that girl actually

 **alluraaltea:** see shes lance's little sister and we REALLY need her back with him!

 **alluraaltea:** could you maybe cancel on her??

 **corancoranthegorgeousman:** NOT POSSIBLE! SHE'S ALREADY BOUGHT THE TICKET!

 **corancoranthegorgeousman:** THERE IS CERTAINLY NO WAY I COULD REFUSE ACCOMMODATION NOW! POOR GIRL HAS SPENT HER MONEY ALREADY

 

"FUCKING  _STEP ON IT,_ GRANDPA."

"I'M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN, ALLURA, TRAFFIC LAWS ARE IMPORTANT."

"THE TRAFFIC POLICE CAN SUCK OUR DICKS, SHIRO, WE'VE GOTTA PICK THOSE TWO FUCKERS UP BEFORE HER BUS LEAVES."

"Coran didn't cancel?"

"She already bought the ticket."

"Shit."

 

**alluraaltea > corancoranthegorgeousman**

**alluraaltea:** we'll see what we can do then, uncle

 **alluraaltea:** thanks for the help

 **corancoranthegorgeousman:** ANYTIME, DEAR!

 

Allura sat back in her seat and took a deep breath. "Guess we just have to hurry, then."


	8. the scarf.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the scarf.

Shiro, Keith, Allura, and Lance all crashed into the bus station, panting and flushed. They looked around quickly, scanning the premises for any sign of a green head of hair. 

Allura checked the glittering watch on her wrist and froze. "It's... It's 10:15." she muttered.

"M... Maybe we can still catch the bus!" Lance exclaimed, and he ran towards the back doors, running out into the loading area. Just as he did, he watched the buses start to pull out of their parking spots. 

"WAIT! STOP!" He waved his arms frantically, desperately trying to catch the drivers' attention, but none gave. "PLEASE, STOP!"

He ran after the buses, trying to catch a glimpse of his sister sitting by a window, but the tinted glass revealed nothing. Still, he didn't care, and he kept running, even when they left the courtyard, even when he kept bumping into people, even when the bus rushed off and got lost in sight. The only point at which he stopped was when he tripped and fell face-first, pushing himself up hurriedly anyway. "Wait..." he whispered to himself. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Keith. He had ended up at the front of the bus station again, his hands were scraped, and there was a pulsing headache waiting just around the corner. "The bus is gone, Lance." Keith sighed. "Let's go back inside and check where their layover is. We'll catch her in time, I promise."

Keith led Lance back inside to the main lobby, where people just stared at them from their tables and chairs. He didn't care what they thought of him, his sister was gone, and he was absolutely miserable. "Look," Keith began, grabbing his shoulders again to make him focus. "Allura's gonna get the information, you go wash up, and we'll hit the road. We don't care how long it takes, we're gonna get your sister back. Okay?"

Lance nodded, eyes glued to the ground as he shuffled off towards the public bathroom. Keith only watched on sadly.

He found Shiro near the snack bar, and he was about to join him when he caught sight of someone sitting at a table just beside the main counter, tucked away from plain sight. They had a grey hoodie pulled over their hair and a denim jacket on, and in their deft hands was a pair of green aluminum knitting needles, pulling together a grey scarf that was faded near the bottom and newer at the top. There was headphone wire just peeking out underneath the hood, and their heel was bouncing on the floor to an unknown beat.

When Shiro turned around at the snack bar, Keith waved to get his attention, made a shushing motion, and pointed towards Esmeralda sitting in her corner, knitting away.  _Go find Allura,_ he mouthed.  _I'll take care of this._

Shiro did as he was told, and Keith walked over slowly, making sure he didn't scare her. There was a seat right in front of her, empty, and he pulled the chair out slowly, slipping into the seat.

He guessed he blocked her light or something, because she looked up, confused, before freezing. Her hands slowly put down her knitting and pulled her headphones out, swallowing slowly. Like a deer caught in headlights, she stared right into Keith's eyes with an unreadable expression. He caught signs of remorse, guilt, but also sorrow and hurt. 

"You missed the 10 PM train." he said quietly, a tired smile on his lips. 

"I changed my mind." Her voice was hoarse, no doubt tired from crying or sore from moving in the cold. 

"What are you knitting?" he asked, and he knew it was obvious he was trying to talk about anything  _but_ Lance. "Is that a scarf?"

Esmeralda held it in her hands, feeling the soft, older part of the knit between her fingers. "Yeah," she murmured. "it's... pretty old." The bottom section was decorated in holes, no doubt an old project abandoned. 

Sensing the conversation wasn't gonna go anywhere else, Keith took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "We were worried sick, Esmeralda." he said, voice hushed and worn. "Especially Lance."

At the mention of her older brother's name, she looked down and away, blinking rapidly. "Didn't sound like it when he told me to leave."

Keith shook his head. "He cried on me several times, Esmeralda. God, you should've seen him when he found his room empty. He just sat on the floor like he didn't know what to do with himself. Not to mention he cried on me like, four times, and that's just on the car ride here." He leaned forward to try to catch her gaze, and when she finally looked up, he continued. "When he saw the buses leave, he ran after them until he tripped and fell. We were ready to drive all night to reach you at the layover."

He saw the girl swallow and take a breath, so he kept talking. "We were all so worried, so,  _so_ worried."

"I shouldn't have come here." she finally said, and her voice broke at that last part. "All I did was just... mess everything up."

"I'm not going to say you're not to blame, because you are, partially." said Keith. "But when you mess something up, you have to fix it, Esmeralda. You can't run away from your problems. You have to face them head-on, because that's the only way you're going to grow: by moving forward, not away."

The girl sighed in defeat. "... Okay. Okay." she finally whispered. 

"I'm going to get Lance, and you're gonna talk, okay?" When there was no response, he took that as a yes and got up, motioning for Shiro to bring her older brother. "Wait here."

Esmeralda's eyes were glued to the grey-brown dotted patter of the table, and she picked up her knitting again.  _Tuck, wrap, tug, pull. Tuck, wrap, tug, pull. Tuck, wrap, tug, pull._ In a way, she wanted to brainwash herself, bypass any sort of coherent thought and just think  _Tuck, wrap, tug, pull_ for the rest of her life. She wanted to be stuck in this addictive trance and ignore all of her problems. 

But she couldn't, because he just took a seat right in front of her.

When she looked up to see him, it was only for a furtive glance, and he wasn't staring at her either. His eyes were puffy, he looked tired and pale, and his hair was a mess. Every few seconds she'd hear him sniff, and at one point he cleared his throat, but he didn't speak. 

For a while, they were quiet, both unsure of what to say. So Lance went first. "I'm sorry, Esmeralda." he began, and his voice cracked at the end, but he didn't stop. "I went too far, and you didn't deserve that."

She didn't know how to respond. Her hands were still stuck in their little cycle, even as her eyes were beginning to blur over with water. She was tired. She was stressed. And she just wanted to lose herself in this stupid little thing for a minute. But she couldn't, so she spoke up. "You know, Lance," she started, "a long time ago, I don't know if you remember, but you taught me to knit. And this little piece down here was your first project."

Lance looked down at the old, worn piece she held out. "... I remember that. Why are you... are you finishing it?"

"... Yeah, I am." she confessed. "I found it one day, and I decided to finish it. I didn't know why I had brought it with me. Maybe to show you what I had done? Maybe to make you laugh? Maybe to impress you?" She put it down, finally, and gazed at it longingly. "I realized I brought it for none of those things. I wanted to show you that I could make it better. I wanted to show you a cutoff where your knitting style ends and mine begins. But the only difference is in wear. Otherwise, it's the same pattern, the same texture." There was a long, shaky sigh from her end. "I guess I forgot you're the one that taught me to knit, after all, so it's only fair I finish what you started in the exact same way."

When Lance was quiet, Esmeralda continued. "I admired you a lot when I was little. I wanted to be just like you. Popular, attractive, charismatic, funny. I started mimicking you in a lot of things, spending time with you, learning from you. I stopped admiring you eventually, not because you're not admirable, but because I stopped being a kid and idolizing people. And yet Mom still looks at me like I'm not me, like I'm you. Teachers at school either adore or hate a person I'm not. I look at what I love and what I hate and I don't know where you end and I begin. And when I found out I liked girls? The last thing I wanted was for Mom and Dad to think I was trying to be just like you again. I keep being compared to you, Lance. It feels, sometimes, like I'm not my own person."

She reached across the table and grabbed his hands, an offering of peace, trying to comfort him as well as herself. "And I know it's not your fault. You never meant for anything like that to happen, and I understand that. I could never hate you for any of that. Lance, I could never hate you _at all_."

Lance squeezed his sister's hands gently. "I could never hate you either," he replied. "When you got here, I was really worried, y'know? Because I hadn't seen you in so long and I thought I had let you down, that I had neglected you, and that whatever had made you come here must've been really bad if you were coming to talk to  _me_ , the worst older brother ever. I had really missed you, Esme. We played video games together and watched movies and hung out and when I didn't see you that summer I came home, when I missed your birthday that year before, I got really bummed out."

"We have to learn to stop being dependent on each other like this." Esmeralda rationed. "We're both growing up, Lance. We're not kids. I don't need to prove I'm not like you to be happy, and you're not responsible over me anymore. We have to move on."

Lance nodded, grabbing a napkin from nearby and blowing his nose. "You're right, Esmeralda. You're right. We have to grow up."

The both of them sighed at the same time, and Esmeralda gathered her things. When they stood up from the table, they looked at each other for a second. Suddenly, Lance pulled her into a hug, warm and shaky and tight, and Esmeralda hugged him back, burying her face in his neck. "I'm sorry for running off on you."

"I'm sorry for chasing you away."

They spent a few more seconds like that before Lance pulled away and he draped his arm across her shoulders, leading her back to where Shiro, Keith, and Allura were waiting with proud, tired smiles. 

"Everything alright?" Shiro asked, looking down at them both with a twinkle in his eye. "You gave us quite a scare there. I thought for sure we would've had to stop at Avenal to get you."

"I'm sorry, guys. I made you worry and it wasn't right. Please forgive me."

"Ohhhhh, I can never be mad at you!" Allura gushed, and she snatched Esmeralda from Lance's arm, pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm just so glad you're safe!"

"Hunk is gonna fuss over you when we get back to the apartment." Keith chimed in, and he nudged her with his elbow. "We're glad to have you back."

 

_**shitpostcentral** _

_**esmeraldamcclain joined the chat** _

_**esmeraldamcclain changed their name to heytheredemons** _

_**lemmesmash changed their name to itsmeyaboy** _

**pidgeonator3000:** WHERE THE HELL WHERE YOU

**pidgeonator3000:** nvm stupid question im the one that found you

**pidgeonator3000:** WHY THE HELL DID YOU LEAVE

**heytheredemons:** i'd recap but im so emotionally drained the First thing i wanna do is nap

**itsmeyaboy:** same

**hunkofgorgeous:** THANK. FUCK.

**allurass:** oh my god hunk just cussed

**hunkofgorgeous:** DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING WORRIED IVE BEEN

**hunkofgorgeous:** I THREW UP THREE TIMES

**hunkofgorgeous:** YOU GAVE ME SIX (6) HEART ATTACKS, ESMERALDA MCCLAIN

**pidgeonator3000:** did he just full name you

**hunkofgorgeous:** IM HONESTLY? SO RELIEVED? BUT ANGRY!!

**heytheredemons:** im sorry hunk :( 

**heytheredemons:** i made you really worried by just running away like that

**heytheredemons:** i promise i wont do it again

**heytheredemons:** if i wanna leave, ill tell you

**hunkofgorgeous:** GOOD. now all four of you better get you ass back home

**hunkofgorgeous:** the turkey is. ruined! but everything else is alright

**itsmeyaboy:** sweet

**xXxmothfanxXx:** shiro is driving but he wants me to tell you we'll be home in fifteen

**xXxmothfanxXx:** this day was full of bonding moments and i, for one, appreciate that we'll remember all of them,

**itsmeyaboy:** oh my GOD keith


	9. epilogue.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay tuned for a gc fic comin up as a sequel yo

_**shitpost central** _

( _sunday morning, november 26th_ _)_

 **lemmesmash:** esmeralda just texted me, she's landed safely in florida

 **lemmesmash:** mom and dad are picking her up

 **lemmesmash:** :') i miss her already

 **pidgeonator3000:** i wish we couldve kept her in the chat

 **pidgeonator3000:** all the notifications we usually get wouldve gotten annoying though

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** true

 **pidgeonator3000:** pls tell your sister that if she needs anything ever, i am Here

 **lemmesmash:** dont you mean 'we're' here?

 **pidgeonator3000:** yeah whatd i say

 **lemmesmash:**.... nothing nevermind

 **hunkofgorgeous:** eyes emoji

 **exasperatedFather:** im making breakfast who wants some

 **pidgeonator3000:** ME

 **xXxmothfanxXx:** ME

 **hunkofgorgeous:** thank fuck im starving

 **lemmesmash:** esmeralda says mom grounded her forever so she gives her final goodbye until further notice

 **pidgeonator3000:** rip esmeralda she will be missed

 **lemmesmash:** anyway im omw give me 5 min to put a shirt on

 **allurass:** can i come for breakfast?

 **pidgeonator3000:** shiro is cooking but he says you can come to our apartment for any reason at any time forever

 **allurass:** AWWW <3

 **allurass:** ok im omw

 **pidgeonator3000:** kk see u in 5

**Author's Note:**

> also im mexican, not cuban, so if i make any mistakes culture wise hit me up with that constructive criticism or cordial correction pls and thanks
> 
> if you loved this fic, you'll love Shitpost Central
> 
> and also my ig: violentmemes  
> and my snapchat: violentmeans
> 
> thanks for reading!!


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